A Ghost Story Extra chapters
by allegratree
Summary: These are chapters I have deleted from “A Ghost Story”. I enjoyed writing them, but they simply went on too far of a tangent. If you liked “A Ghost Story” and you want to read more, here you go.
1. A Note

Dear Readers,

I have decided not to include these chapters in my story, "A Ghost Story". I rather enjoyed writing them, but they simply get to far from the main point of the story. I am including them here on a separate posting so that people can read them if they want to. You probably won't like them if you've never read "A Ghost Story", which is also posted on this site, because they will make no sense to you. Any comments or suggestions you have about my writing style are welcome and encouraged, but as I have already decided against using them in the main story, you needn't bother with making comments regarding how the chapters might or might not develop the story. I appreciate you taking the time to read or review my work.

Respectfully,

Allegratree


	2. The House in the Sun

**Chapter Six**

**A House in the Sun**

Suzette laughed and danced about as Erik gave her a tour of their new home. The living room was rich in decoration, filled with paintings and shelves of books and other art. It was alive and inviting, with a cheery fire going in the hearth. It had one large arched window, which was a lovely stained glass portrait of Saint Cecelia. The ceiling was high and painted with a Nordic weaving design around the woodwork.

Adjoining the living room was a large space with an equally high ceiling. There was no furniture in this room and the walls were divided into panels. If the panels had been mirrors it would have been exactly like the type of room that a ballet would rehearse in, but the panels were like tapestries telling a story. In between each panel was an electric lamp reaching out from the wall. The floor was smooth and cool marble.

"What is this room for?" Suzette asked.

"This is where you will have your lessons."

"But there is no desk and no books."

"It's perfect. You'll see."

The next room was a shock to Suzette.

"It's a jungle!" she shouted. And indeed it was. They were surrounded on every side by strange tropical species of trees. Suzette looked above her and saw patches of daylight shining through the branches above her. Hopping about the branches were brilliantly colored little birds, which squawked at intervals. In a large clearing in this curious jungle sat a long, wooden dining table. Suzette turned to Erik and said, "Why would a dinning room be in a jungle, Erik?" Erik shrugged, "It was the best size and shape for a jungle."

"Why would a jungle be in a house?"

"I rarely express myself in the same way others do." Suzette stared about her.

"Well I suppose it is rather pretty," she said finally. Erik led her through the leaves to a hallway with wooden walls ornamented from floor to ceiling with carved wooden figures. He opened one door that led to a comparatively normal kitchen and then to a plain room with a cloak closet and a large window. The window look quite solid, so Suzette was surprised to see that when he pushed it, a large portion of the wall moved away as if on a hinge.

"When you want to go and play in the garden, you can go out this way. Suzette peeked out and saw a lovely and wild looking garden awaiting her. She looked to her right and was shocked again to find that the outside wall of the house had a heavy white door while the inside had a plain wall.

"This door doesn't open!" she exclaimed.

"Yes, it does," Erik assured her.

"Where does it lead?" she asked.

"To a lost room."

"How can a room be lost?" she demanded disbelievingly.

"My, but you are inquisitive today. While I was decorating all the rooms, I lost one. You must never go in there or you will be lost as well."

"Are you really quite serious, Erik? Would I really be lost?"

"Absolutely. Now let us see the upstairs before you go and play in the garden." Suzette gave the door to the lost room one last look and shuddered before closing up the window. She was quite sure that she would never want to go inside.

They backed into the hallway and Erik led her up a flight of stairs. Once they were in the hallway, Erik opened a door and said, "Here is my room if you wish to see it." Suzette went in and observed a comfortable and modest bedroom with a large window swathed in lace and overlooking the garden. The only thing out of the ordinary in the room was a sequence of notes painted on the wall over and over just where it met the ceiling.

"What song is that, Erik?" she asked.

"I will teach you to read it and then you can find out for yourself. And speaking of that, come, I will show you the music room."

The music room was quite large and each wall was covered in aging wallpaper, which featured a busy pattern of daisies.

"I decided to keep this room as it was," said Erik, anticipating her question.

"There sure are a lot of daisies in here," she pointed out. Erik looked about the room at the daisies. They were too large and too bright. They were very silly looking things and in the corners they were falling off the wall clumsily.

"I like daisies," he said.

The music room contained the organ and pianoforte from the house by the lake. On one wall were shelves and shelves of musical volumes. In the opposite corner sat a little desk and a music stand. On another shelf sat a violin and a viola, as well as two cases which Suzette guessed contained other instruments. The only window in the room was quite narrow and almost completely covered with vines.

"We shall have a great deal of fun in here Suzette," he said and she was obliged to agree with him.

"May I see my room?" she asked.

"Of course, my darling," he replied and led her by the hand through another door and up another staircase. At the top of the staircase was a well-lit space with a desk and a sofa.

"This will be your sitting room," he informed her, "And your bathroom is just in there." Suzette stared at the room in excitement. She had never had so much space before. He opened another door and showed her into her bedroom.

Suzette sighed with delight when she saw it. It looked just like a princess' room out of a fairy tale. The window was large and round and looked out onto the street. The ceiling was painted blue and white like the sky and was filled with angels, fairies, Pegasus's, dragons, and flying carpets. The walls were a mural of princes, thieves, damsels, elves, witches and heroes. There were shelves of enticing books and splendid toys. Suzette approached the shelves and took down a fairy in a lovely silk dress. Erik showed her how to wind her up and in an instant the fairy's wings were working and she was dancing about the floor. Suzette chose another toy, a bear this time, and wound it up. This one played a tune as it danced. Erik wound up and released a dragon, which slithered quickly about the room. Before long, the entire shelf of toys was dancing, jumping, and playing on the floor.

"Did you make them?" Suzette shouted over the racket.

"Just for you," he told her. Suzette jumped into Erik's arms with joy and kissed him.

"Is it really ours?"

"Of course, my dear Suzette."

"And those bad men won't find us here."

"Never. Do you like it, Suzette?" he asked.

"I love it!" she responded, "I want to stay forever!"

"I'm glad. Shall we start on your lessons?"

The weeks went by and Erik and Suzette became quite happy in their new home. Erik roused her early each morning and gave her lessons until lunch. After lunch, Suzette played for hours in the garden before they ate supper and Erik continues her lessons in the 'daisy room'.

It was a very private place. There were walls of shrubbery on all sides so no one could see inside. There were bursts of red, blue, pink, purple, yellow and white in every direction. There was a favorite space of Suzette's along one wall, where several large pine trees grew together and formed a lovely green cave where she could hide with Elizabeth and the other dolls that Erik made for her. She made them little beds of fine long pine needles. Then she caught hold of the lowest big branches and climbed up the tree as high as she could. There was a nice flat branch where she could sit and look over the house and into the street. She could also see into the closest garden, which belonged to a grand old lady. She liked to watch this woman working in her flowers beds, without being seen. She loved the time she spent swaying in the pine trees and playing in the soft needles as much as the time she spent with Erik in the school room and the daisy room.

Erik watched her playing with satisfaction although he disapprovingly pointed out the tears in her dresses, lost shoes and stockings, and pine needles in her hair. He wasn't angered though. He simply patted her hair and shook his head saying, "A little _garcon manqué_. That's what we have here."

One afternoon, Suzette came in earlier that usual and found Erik working on the new opera he was composing. He looked up when he heard her enter and saw that she was holding a moderately sized gray cat.

"Ahh!" shouted Erik.

"Meow," said the cat.

"May I please have this cat?" asked Suzette. Erik was confused by this request.

"What do you mean, darling? How can you have a cat?"

"I want it to live with us in the house," she explained as she set the cat on the floor. Erik eyed the animal distrustfully.

"I don't think that cats are meant to live in the house." Suzette giggled at this statement. Erik was not kidding. He looked at the cat again and the cat looked back with green curious eyes. Suddenly the cat leapt in the air and landed on Erik's lap. He shrieked and leaned as far away as he could from the cat. The cat put it's forepaws on his shoulder and sniffed at his mask.

"Meow," the cat said again. Erik cringed.

"He wants you to pet him," Suzette explained. Erik reached up slowly and petted the creature's back gingerly. It was warm and soft. The cat turned his head suddenly and Erik was afraid that it would bite, but it only licked his hand with its scratchy tongue.

"Nice, little cat. . ." Erik said meekly and petted the cat again. The cat lay on its side and fell asleep in his lap.

"So may I keep the cat in the house?" Suzette asked.

"I suppose so," he whispered as not to wake it, "As long as the cat has no objections."

As weeks turned into months and months into years, Suzette, Erik, and the cat, which came to be called Othello, grew right into the house in the sun. Erik relished every footstep of Suzette progress but she grew so quickly that she often kept him off guard. She became generous and affectionate, befriending the children in a nearby orphanage and bringing them toys that Erik had made. Erik enjoyed his little girl and devoted himself entirely to caring for her and teaching her. He watched with delight, as she grew smarter, wilder, and all the more charming in his eyes. He was enchanted and bewildered by her funny habits. She played like a boy, crawling and rolling on the ground and climbing in trees and she had all but abandoned the custom of shoe wearing. She cared little for lovely ribbons, make-up, or how to dance. She was interested more in books, art, nature, and experiencing all of the beauty that life had to offer. Her playfulness and disregard of custom and etiquette caused him worry from time to time but he cherished her so that he thought to himself, "If there is any fault in it, let me take the blame and leave my _garcon manqué_ as I so love her." And so he did and he was happier then he ever imagined that he could be, living with a young girl and a cat in the house in the sun.


	3. Snow is Beautiful

Snow is beautiful! It is a wondrous event for little children, to be playing contently on the floor, surrounded by a kingdom of dolls, soldiers, and other playthings before a roaring hearth, when suddenly one child who has had the fortune of wandering to the window cries out in delight,

"Look everyone! It's snowing!" Such an announcement is most certainly followed by a general clamor to get to the window. The other children push and contend with one another to be the first to press their noses to the frosty windowpane and see the heavenly white flakes appearing like stars on the night sky.

"It's snowing! It's snowing!" the smallest ones shriek and the grown people smile as they send them off to bed. Even their old eyes become starry as they sit watching by the window with a warm mug of tea and remembering the magical wintry days of their own childhoods.

The next morning there is a great rush as the children rise early out of bed and wiggle and squirm all through breakfast. Next there is a great commotion as each child dresses themselves in layer after layer of Big-brother's sweaters and Father's thick stockings and they all rush out into the fresh, cold air!

Hours later, they all return for a hot bowl of soup, their faces pink and chapped, and their layers of clothing all soaked and frozen over.

Yes snow is a lovely, wonderful thing, but of course Erik new almost nothing about it. Having spent most of his life underground, he had hardly ever seen it, and certainly had never taken to time to roll about it the way children do. He knew only that it was cold and wet and had a most unfortunate way of clinging to one's trousers and falling into one's boots. Therefore, it is understandable that he was slightly confused after he rushed to Suzette's bedroom on winter's evening upon hearing her scream his name only to find her standing on a chair in her nightgown, smiling and pointing her finger triumphantly out the window.

"Look Erik!" said she, and he stepped to the window and pulled the lace aside. The snow was falling so quickly that he could barely see the lighted windows of the nearest house, and the street had virtually disappeared beneath it. Erik had to admit that it was rather pretty and peaceful in a way. His thoughts were interrupted by Suzette, who was dancing about like an Indian warrior and chanting, "It's snowing! It's snowing! It's snowing!" at the very top of her voice.

"It's very pretty," said Erik.

"Let's go outside!"

"Whatever for?"

"To play in the snow!"

"What?"

"Pleeeese! Just for a while?"

"But its dark and cold out and you're already dressed for bed!"

"I can get dressed for bed again! Please? Just out back? It's nighttime and no one will see us!"

Erik stared at Suzette. He hated these kinds of moments. He knew that there had to be a perfectly good reason that children shouldn't play outside in the snow late at night, but he couldn't for the life of him figure out what it was. He realized that if he didn't come up with something quick, he would be obliged to take this little girl out for a romp in the snow.

"Wouldn't you rather just sit in here and read a nice story by the fire?" he asked in a cheery voice.

"No! No! No!" Suzette shouted as she hopped up and down with her little hands clasped together under her chin, as if she were praying. Erik sighed.

"Well, maybe for a little while, but you must dress up warm!" No sooner had Erik said these words than little Suzette was rushing about the room assembling the warmest outfit she could find. Erik left her to her task and went to put on his cloak and hat.

Moments later, they were standing together silently in the garden. The snow had stopped falling, though an occasional breeze blew a bit of it off the tree branches and fell upon them like fairy dust. The bright moon had found a little hole in the clouds to peak through and it cast a lovely shimmer on the whole world before them. The fresh snow shone like tiny crystals. Erik thought it looked as if all the stars in the universe had landed delicately on the boughs of the trees. There was a sweet scent in the air, a mixture of the burning firewood and something else; a kind of pleasant, sweet, dry aroma. Erik wondered if you could smell snow and in the peaceful silence of night, he almost imagined that he could hear each of those tiny crystals whispering to each other. He looked to Suzette and saw her staring with wonder at the beautiful scene before her. She looked as if she were afraid to touch the pristine snow with her footsteps.

"Well," asked Erik, "What shall we do now?" Suzette took his hand and led her through the garden. She showed him how to crush the snow into little balls and hurl them into the bushes, disturbing little chipmunks and winter birds, who had more sense then to be playing out in the snow late at night. Erik brushed the snow off a bench and sat and watched as Suzette created three giant snowballs by rolling them around the garden. He helped her to stack them on one another to create the shape of a person. Suzette then searched the bushes and trees for sticks and acorns to create arms and a face for him. At last, Suzette wound her own scarf around the snowman's neck and Erik offered her his wide-brimmed hat to place his head.

"His name is Henri," Suzette declared, and as Erik had no objections, it was so.

"Shall we go in now?" Erik asked her.

"Just a moment more," she replied and to his surprise she fell over backward and proceeded to wave her arms back and forth.

"Whatever are you doing now?" he demanded in consternation, "I've never seen such behavior." Suzette got up slowly.

"Look, Erik!" she said and stepped aside so he could see, "A snow angel!" He looked at the figure of the angel in the snow and chuckled to himself.

"Well of all things! May we go inside now, my dear?" Suzette smiled sleepily and she took his hand and led him back to the house.

Once inside, Suzette hurried to her room to get ready once more for bed and Erik went and made a fresh pot of tea for them. Before he had even come up the stairs with the tea, Suzette was in her nightgown once more and was curled up in her bed with a picture book. It was the story of two boys who built a sled together and it was the fastest of all the boys' sleds in the village. Suzette thought it was a rather silly story, but she looked longingly at the picture of all the children racing down the hill.

"Can you build a sled, Erik?"

"I should think so, though I've never tried it before."

"Could you show me how?" she asked hopefully.

"Of course."

Tomorrow?"

"If you wish." Suzette lay happily back in her bed.

"Don't you wish it was always snowy?"

"It is in some places."

"Like where, Erik?"

"The North Pole."

"That must be lovely!" the child exclaimed.

"Yes, I suppose it is," Erik replied rather unhappily. He didn't like to think of the North Pole. It reminded him of Christine and her young Viscomte. He wondered if the little fellow had sailed away on an adventure to the North Pole as he had planned to and whether he had taken Christine with him. He hoped that she liked it there, that he was very good to her, and that she was happy. Tears welled in his eyes, behind his mask, as he wondered if Christine had forgotten him completely.

"But you know, Erik, if it is always winter in the North Pole, then there would never be any flowers, and I wouldn't like that."

"You are correct in that, mademoiselle. If you went to the North Pole, you would have to say good-bye to flowers."


	4. Of Monsters, Memories, and Mermaids

Erik stretched his arms up as high as he could, and threw the latch that unlocked the tall, narrow window in his room. It had been an uncommonly hot afternoon and now, as the sun shone its last bright beams over the edge of the world, the air in the house was warm and suffocating. Erik propped the window open and lent back, removing his mask and allowing the fresh evening breeze to massage his face like a cool balm. He drew several deep breaths of refreshing air and opened his eyes. The top of the window was curved and decorated with inlays of cut glass. The different angles caught the last, retreating beams of daylight and made of them tiny dancing rainbows on the wooden floor. The room was filled with the colors of the setting sun and the effect was quite peaceful.

Erik turned his face to the window again, careful to keep back and out of sight. He shut his eyes as he let the cool air and the sounds of the leaves and birds wash over him. Moments passed and the sounds grew fainter until he could no longer hear them.

He sat crouched, in the dark, narrow corridor. He could feel the gusts of air on his arms and neck. Somewhere, someone had opened a trap door. He was surrounded by darkness, but it was darkness he was acquainted with. He knew exactly where he was for he had been there many times before. He was on the other side of the mirror, waiting for her. He would sit there for hours, waiting for her to come and watching her when she did. She was beautiful and mysterious. Her deep blue eyes shone so that he couldn't take his eyes off of her. Of all the people, all the little lives, he could observe, he loved most to watch her. He knew it was those eyes that captivated him so, for though they were beautiful, they were also lifeless. They were filled with a sorrow that he had forgotten he could feel. Loneliness, he realized. They were lonely eyes.

It was a sad business, being a ghost. Although he could spy on anyone he wanted, play tricks on people, and whisper terrifying things into their ears, which were all things he liked to do, the people would never talk back to him, or touch him, or want him to come and be with them. But as all good ghosts do, he had reconciled with that and was numb to the pain inside his heart as he went about his fun business of creating chaos amongst them. But those lovely, mysterious, lonely eyes reminded him of that pain. They were wonderful and terrible, and yet, even comforting. He yearned to speak to her, to comfort her too, but a ghost can do no such thing, and she was wishing for an angel.

Suddenly, in the distance a door opened with a bang, and a great gush of air rushed over him. Erik's eyes darted open and he found himself in his own room once again. The sun had set and the wind outside had grown tumultuous and angry as it shook the branches of the trees. He groped for his mask in the darkness and went into the hallway.

"Suzette?" he called, but there was no answer. He climbed the stairs to her rooms but saw that the lights were out and she was not there.

"The silly thing must still be in the garden, playing in the dark," he thought. He trotted quickly down the steps and went into the kitchen. He then flicked the switch for the electric light on the back of the house, which was the signal for Suzette to come in and had begun to slice up bread for dinner, when he realized that it had been several minutes and Suzette hadn't come to the door yet. Erik felt an uneasiness in his stomach and he went to the door and peeked out into the garden, hoping to see her making her way toward him. There was not a soul about.

"Bother, this nonsense," he grumbled and he took up his cloak and went out to look for the girl.

"Suzette?" he called again, but he heard no answer. He searched the darkness around him as he tramped to the back of the place where there where two large evergreen trees. Suddenly the night was sliced in half by a high-pitched wail. Erik stepped back so suddenly he nearly toppled over, and Othello scampered off into the bushes, hissing his indignation. The cat's yellow eyes glared at him angerly in the darkness and Erik gave him a little apologetic bow.

"_Watch your step, monster!" _ Othello growled and Erik chuckled, "Watch your own, Othello!" Erik pushed away the branches of the old tree and peered underneath. Then he chuckled again for there lay Suzette, snoozing peacefully in a bed of prickly tree needles. He shook her by the arm and said,

"Wake up, sleepy head! You should no better then this. Haven't you remembered anything from your fairy tales? Horrible things happen to people who fall asleep under trees!" Suzette's eyes remained closed but Erik noticed an ever-so-slight twitch at the corners of her mouth.

"You might wake to find yourself stolen by fairies or even stay asleep for a hundred years!" Suzette gave a soft sigh and remained limp. Her face puckered considerably though, when Othello wandered in to lick her cheek with his scratchy, pink tongue.

"Meow!" said Othello, looking curiously at her.

"Well, I like that!" Erik exclaimed, and then he addressed Othello, "You know I should just leave her out here. The storm that's brewing up there should wake her soon enough when it comes down and then she'll learn her lesson about sleeping under trees!"

"_You'll do no such thing!"_ Othello exclaimed, "_Honestly, the evil thoughts you think! You just lift her up and take her inside like a honest fellow."_

"Oh, very well, you tiresome beast. Heaven forbid an honest ghost should have any fun! Come along, Suzette." And he lifted her gently, plucking a few needles from her hair and carried her through the blustery night to the back door.

Once indoors, Erik set Suzette in a large armchair in the living room. At that moment, Suzette made a big fuss of waking up, stretching her arms wildly above her and rubbing her eyes. She looked around and her eyes fell on Erik.

"Hello, Erik," she chirped.

"Hello, dear."

"However did I get in here?"

"I rescued you from being captured by fairies or drowning in a rainstorm."

"Oh, how nice!"

"Yes, Othello wanted for me to leave you there, but I made him see the error of his ways." Suzette giggled.

"What shall we do now?"

"You go up and get bathed and ready for bed, and I will bring you up some supper."

A short while later, Erik and Suzette were in the sitting room finishing up their bread and soup.

"Will you read me a book before I go to sleep?" she asked him.

"Why certainly, mademoiselle. It just so happens that I've just received in the post, a lovely book by Mr. Merriweather Lewis, detailing the landscape and indigenous peoples of Louisianna. I think you would find that rather interesting!"

"What?" said Suzette incredulously.

"Yes, just now I'm reading about these funny little creatures that live in holes in the ground-

"Erik?" Suzette interrupted.

"Yes, my little angel, and they scurry around in little packs on the meadows along the Missouri River, in plain sight of anything…"

"Erik…"

"A moment, my darling! But just as soon as any of them sees any danger coming they all jump up and dart into their holes! They're very quick, you see! What was it you wanted to say?" Suzette took a deep breath and then asked curiously,

"What would happen if there was a snake?" Erik pondered this for a moment and said, "You know, I'm not at all sure. Mr. Lewis didn't say anything about snakes. Perhaps they don't have snakes in that part of America? I'll just go get the book and we can see if he mentions it in another chapter…"

"Erik?"

"Yes, my dear little girl?"

"I don't want to read that book."

"No? Oh, well, that's all right! I've also got a fascinating book about Byzantine architecture, just published! Why it's even got some of those new photographs printed in it! Or, if you like, I've also got a very good treatise on the development of Notre Dame Organum and it's contributions to Western polyphony!"

"Erik, I want a _story_ book!" Suzette said as she got up and went to her bookshelf.

"Oh! Well how about Faust? Goethe's always good for a good bedtime read." Suzette wrinkled up her face and blinked her eyes at him.

"I will choose a good story," she said snootily, "and it won't be Faust."

"As you wish it, mademoiselle," Erik replied as he settled into his favorite reading chair.

The story Suzette chose was a German fairy tale about a beautiful mermaid who fell in love with a prince. The mermaid wanted to be with the prince so much that she went to an evil witch who made for her a potion that would turn her mermaid's tail into two legs. The caveat of the spell was that each step she took felt like piecing daggers to her human feet, and that if she couldn't make the prince fall in love with her in three days, then she would die and become only foam on the waves of the sea, for only human beings have a soul that lives forever. The mermaid agreed and took the potion for she loved the prince so much. Sadly for the little mermaid, when she found her prince she discovered that he was already in love with another woman and was to be married in three days. The mermaid's sisters went to the witch to plead for their sister's life. In exchange for their beautiful, long hair, the witch gave them a dagger and told them that if the littlest mermaid used the dagger to pierce the heart of her prince and let his blood wash over her legs, then she would change back into a mermaid and be free. As the littlest mermaid stood beside her prince as he slept, holding the dagger, she knew that she loved him too much to kill him, even if it meant loosing her soul. In tead, she threw herself back into the sea. The story ended with the spirit of the littlest mermaid being lifted up by the angels. They told her that she had earned her soul by loving her prince enough to die for him. They named her Ariel, a name with means, spirit of the air.

Suzette watched with wide, compassionate eyes as Erik finished the beautiful tale. Neither spoke for a few moments, but Erik removed his mask and Suzette watched him wipe away tears.

"Did you like that story, Erik?"

"Yes, indeed, my little Suzette."

"As much as Faust?" Erik replaced his mask and turned to her.

"Oh, at least as much!"

"It's sad that the littlest mermaid had to die though." Erik placed his thin hand on her head and stroked her hair. She was far too young to understand how beautiful it was to be dying of love.

"Well, now it's time for bed!" Erik said suddenly. He hoisted her up and carried her into the bedroom, placing her gently beneath to covers. They embraced and Erik said, "Sleep well, my dear little Suzette! I shall be downstairs reading about Leonin and the Magnum Libre Organi."

"Goodnight, Erik," she whispered. He shut off the light and began to walk toward the door. She watched his stop suddenly and turn back toward her. "Oh know!" she thought, "It'll be the bed-monster again!"

"Don't forget, Suzette! If you have to get out of bed, turn the light on first! You don't want the monster under the bed to grab you." Suzette began to protest that she was much to big to believe in under-the-bed monsters, but Erik continued, "I know, of course, that the under-the-bed monster is only a story I made up to scare you into staying in your bed at night, and I only mention it because, if there did happen to be such a thing as an under-the-bed monster, it would surely be active on a dark, blustery, stormy night such as this. Sleep tight!" and Erik strolled cheerfully into the next room where he gathered the dinner dishes and went whistling down the stairs.

"Humph!" Suzette said as she lay back in her bed, listening to the night wind. It sounded to her like a wild animal howling in the distance. Suddenly she heard a very strange creaking followed by the sound of something scraping against wood. Suzette froze and listened closely. There was the scraping sound again! Suzette sat up and looked out the window. The branches of the trees in the front garden whipped wildly back and forth with the wind. Was that the sound she heard? Suddenly, there came the sound again and Suzette was sure it came from under the bed. Now Suzette was genuinely frightened, though she was a brave girl. Was the sound from outside or was it under the bed? Well there was only one way to know. Slowly, Suzette leaned over and pulling up the bedspread, peeked under the bed. Two glowing eyes stared back at her. Suzette was so surprised that she shrieked and fell over onto the floor. She scrambled back into the bed and screamed for Erik to help her.

"What is it, my love?" he asked her earnestly.

"The monster! Under my bed! I saw it!" Erik stared at her a moment, then exclaimed, "I just knew there was something hanging around under that bed. Well, we can't have this! There is simply not enough room for two monsters in this house!"

"But what can we do?" she asked.

"First we will shut the door so the monster can't escape!" Erik stepped into the room and shut the door behind him.

"Now I shall turn on the light. Most monsters hate the light, you see." Erik turned the switch and a frantic scurrying came from under the bed. Erik knelt down beside the bed and peeked underneath.

"There _is_ something under there!" he whispered and he reached in slowly.

"Aah!" he cried and he jumped up onto the bed clutching his arm and sucking on one of his fingers. "It bites!" he cried and Suzette yelped in terror.

"What now?" she wailed.

"Wait here," Erik ordered and he disappeared into the adjacent room, carefully closing the door behind him. Moments later he was back with a carrot, a piece of twine, and an attitude of resolve.

"We shall have to trap the monster! Suzette, hand me that pillow case, please." Erik took the carrot, tied the green end with the string, and handed it to Suzette.

"When I turn out the light, dangle this over the edge and make it dance around, then when the monster tries to get it, I will catch him in this pillow case." Suzette looked at him suspiciously, "How do you know that monsters even like carrots."

"Well, they're not their favorite thing to eat," he admitted, "But I can't very well ask you to dangle yourself over the side of the bed, now can I?" Suzette shook her head vigorously.

"Aside from that, monsters know that carrots are good for them and give them strong eyes for seeing their prey in the dark. Now, shall we give it a try?" Suzette nodded gravely and Erik turned out the light. Suzette dangled the carrot down near the floor and within seconds a dark shadow had raced out and tried to snatch it. Instantly, Erik had tackled it and was tumbling around the floor trying to stuff it in the pillowcase.

"I've caught it, Suzette! Turn the switch again!" Suzette did as she was told and observed that Erik held the pillowcase up proudly and something was wiggling and twisting about inside it.

"It's not very big," remarked Suzette.

"No, its under-the-bed sized." Erik replied. Suddenly, there came from the pillowcase, a high-pitched, muffled, and very angry sounding voice.

"It's a noisy one!" Erik exclaimed.

"It sounds just like Othello," said Suzette.

'So, it does. So, it does," he replied and he opened the pillowcase just a big so he could look inside. Suddenly, before Erik could even cry, "Oh", Othello leaped out of the trap and landed on the bed, shouting every nasty name he could think of at Erik.

"_You vile demon! You vile, monstrous, loathsome, evil, horrible blackguard! You fiendish, ghastly, creature of death!"_

"Now, now! Such awful language in the presence of a young lady!"

"_HOW DARE YOU!"_

"Really, Othello, it was an honest mistake. Why were you creeping about under her bed anyway?" The cat growled deep in his throat and jumped onto the floor. Suzette ran to the door and opened it, and Othello took off like a shot.

" Poor Othello," Suzette said sadly.

"I guess there really isn't a monster under there," said Erik.

"No, I suppose not," said Suzette.

"What a pity. Well in that case, you should be fast asleep by now, dreaming of fairies and mermaids." Suzette climbed wearily into the bed and pulled the covers up over her, and Erik switched the light off for the third and final time.


	5. Mathieu

It often occurred to Erik, that Suzette was a singularly remarkable little girl. This, of course, was a somewhat baseless conclusion, as he knew nothing of children and had never known another child well enough to make a fair comparison. Still, it seemed to him that there was something exquisitely beautiful and unique about this little spirit. Her passion for life was inextinguishable. So very much of their small world was wondrous to her. She loved to question and explore everything, be it the house, the garden, or the books Erik read to her. She had a most entertaining habit of giving spirit to everything she encountered and treating it as if it were a person with thoughts and emotions. For example, she would say to Erik on an autumn day, "The tree must be happy it's leaves are all red!" or she might shout to the wind after it had blown her off her little hat, "You stop being so naughty and give me back my hat!" or regarding a lost spoon that had been batted out from under the couch by the cat, "Won't his cousins in the drawer be happy to see him back?"

As is the case with most little girls, however, Suzette's euphoria for life could transform suddenly and violently into a tantrum, and it wasn't long before she discovered the most effective method of revenge on Erik was to turn away from him and refuse to speak to him. These periods of stormy silence were heart wrenching for Erik, for he wanted nothing more then her approval and affection. No matter how he pleaded or apologized, she would not speak to him or look at him any longer then to blink and squint her eyes with scorn or cast him a hateful glare. Finally, when Erik had promised her whatever she wanted and there were steaks of tears running down his face, she would relent and become his friend again. As the reader can probably imagine, this grew to be tiresome for poor Erik and after a while he was forced to find another, more efficient method of resolving these episodes.

This happened one rainy afternoon, when Erik was feeling rather poor indeed. During his many years under the opera house, he had very rarely been ill. He had simply not had enough contact with other human beings to catch any sickness. With Suzette's company, he had also inadvertently inherited the company of every germ crawling on every child in the vicinity. Each new plague attacked his inexperienced immune system without mercy and this particular illness had been Erik's third in one season. To his discredit, Erik was not at all a good sport about the situation. He detested being sick. He hated being sore and tired. He hated how it made his face raw and chapped so that his mask was even less bearable to wear and most of all, he hated not being able to sing. It was under these circumstances that Erik lay sprawled across his bed in his nightclothes, well after mid-day, wishing that he could simply die and not have to suffer the throbbing pain in his head any longer.

At this point, Suzette peeked in on him. She hadn't had any lessons in two days and she was bored out of her mind. To her way of thinking, she had put up with about enough of this nonsense and she meant to tell him so. She approached his bed and plopped down on his feet. Erik groaned incoherently. Suzette squirmed around and said loudly, "Aren't I going to get any lessons today?"

"No, my lovely girl, not today. Your teacher is sick."

"But you were sick yesterday!" the little girl whined. When Erik couldn't find the energy to respond to this, she began to bounce up and down on his feet and chant, "Get up!" again and again. Erik made an outraged sound and kicked at her sharply. Suzette bounced to the side and climbed up beside his shoulders where she sat on her knees and began to talk to him excitedly, poking him periodically in the back. At this point, Suzette's prattling, which under normal circumstances was one of Erik's favorite sounds, became simply intolerable to him. He rolled over, pushed her ungracefully off of his bed, and bellowed, "Leave me in peace, child!"

Suzette stared at him in horror, then burst into tears and ran from the room. Erik looked up in time to see her disappear into the hall. He moaned loudly and chastised himself. He knew this little mishap would almost certainly result in a fresh bout of Suzette not speaking to him. He rose painfully from the bed and made his way grudgingly down the stairs to search for her. He found her in the kitchen sitting in the middle of the floor and clutching Othello to her breast as large tears rolled down her face. He leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed and sighed.

"I hate Erik!" she said to the cat when she noticed him out of the corner of her eye, "He is so mean to me! I wish he had never brought me here!" Erik shut his eyes and said nothing. The combined pains in his head and heart were merciless.

"I hate him, hate, him, hate him!" she whispered again into the cats ear. Suddenly Erik got an idea.

"_Yes, Erik is very bad!"_ Suzette looked up suddenly at the sound of the squeaky voice and stared at Othello.

"Did you say something?" she asked him surprised. The cat stared at her with large, green eyes.

"_Only that Erik is the worst man in the world! He is terribly mean and bad. If I were you I should run away and never see him again!"_

"Humph!" said Suzette and then glanced at the door. Erik had withdrawn from view and was presumably hiding somewhere in the hallway.

"_He should be thankful that he has you around because anyone else would leave him alone to rot in the gutter!"_

"They would?"

"_Of course they would! Who needs a mean, grouchy old man always telling them to put on shoes and do school work?"_ Suzette dropped the cat on the floor and scrunched up her face.

"He is only grouchy because he is sick today and I like the lessons he gives me!"

"_Well it isn't your fault that he is sick! That's no reason for him to yell at you is it?" _Suzette seemed to mull it over in her mind.

"Last week I was sick and Erik took care of me, reading to me and bringing me soup..."

"_Well, what of it?"_

"Maybe Erik needs me to take care of him, so he will feel better! Then he won't be cranky!"

"_I still say that you should leave him alone to die," _said the cat in an authoritative voice, "_Then there will be no more question of him and you can go about as you like."_

"Oh, be quiet! I am going to make a pot of tea!"

Yes, Suzette was an uncommon girl. She was an extraordinarily pretty child, with soft golden curls, warm, pleasant coloring, and deep, sapphire eyes, but she never cared for "dressing up" or "acting like a lady". This was quite apparent to Erik as he watched her over his teacup and bowl of hot cereal. She stood on a dinning room chair in a rumpled nightgown with her tangled hair cascading down her shoulders. Her feet were bare and smudged and there was a sticky patch of raspberry preserves on her chin. She had grown quite a lot taller over the past year and Erik had to strain his neck in order to watch her while sitting at the table.

She was holding a large bit of paper, the "newspaper", from which she was reading with great relish. This had become something of a morning tradition for them, ever since Erik began to read to her from real newspapers. Suzette had found the Parisian paper to be boring and much too full of grown-up business. One morning Erik had emerged from his room to find her scribbling furiously, working on her own newspaper. Suzette's paper was published daily and always began with a report of the weather from the day before. This was generally followed by a procession of pretend advertisements, crime reports, and other stories which interested her. Erik found the ritual charming and encouraged it by giving a great many interviews for her reports.

On this particular morning, Suzette was reading aloud from a sort of social column of which she was the main subject.

"Last Wednesday," she read aloud, "Miss Suzette entertained a Miss Prudence Peabody, daughter of the rich, well-known British gentleman Dr. Lawrence Peabody, who is spending the summer with his mother's family. Miss Suzette met Miss Peabody as the later was going for her afternoon walk with her governess. Miss Suzette, being a most pleasant and charming young lady, invited the honorable Miss Peabody in for a cup of tea. Unfortunately, as the ladies sat chatting together, a most scandalous event occurred; their tea was interrupted rather rudely by the voice of a ghost." Suzette paused here and glanced at Erik, who looked up from his bowl in surprise.

"Miss Peabody is rumored to have told her governess after the unfortunate events occurred, that as she sat in Miss Suzette's bedroom, bragging about the various lovely things her papa had purchased for her in Paris, she heard a horrible low moan, like that of a creature in pain. Shortly after, the girls began to hear loud banging noises coming from behind the walls. Miss Peabody became quite frightened, and poor Miss Suzette didn't seem know what to do. Gradually the sounds grew closer and closer to Miss Peabody until they seemed to be upon her. This was followed by a long and eerie silence, during which Miss Suzette tried to come up with some sort of plausible and non-alarming excuse for having such sounds in one's bedroom. Before she could come up with anything good, the disreputable phantom let out a fearsome wail that rattled every windowpane in the house. At this point, Miss Peabody let out a cry of her own and after shouting several disrespectful and unladylike phrases at Miss Suzette, she ran crying from the house. When questioned about the events Miss Suzette said, "I don't care a fig for Miss Prudence Peabody or her rich, British papa!" While it may be true that Miss Peabody has a most abysmal sense of humor, the question of whether or not Miss Suzette will ever be able to make a friend with such an unreasonable and rampageous ghost as her companion still remains to be seen." Here, Suzette paused again and looked at Erik. He had finished his cereal and placed the mask on his face so that his reaction was unreadable. He sat a long time in silence, looking at her through his mask. Suddenly, the silence was broken by the shrill voice of Othello, who sat on the floor nearby, staring at one of the tropical birds above them. "_Oh, very well done, you great humbug of a ghost! You've gone and spoiled the little girl's fun! I am ashamed to be called your cat!"_

Suzette turned back to the paper, "In is the opinion of this columnist, however, that if Suzette is ever to make a friend, she must be allowed to leave the garden and go to the village by herself."

"My word!" Erik exclaimed, "That is a rather plucky writer!"

"_It's the least you can do, you scoundrel! I've never heard of such disgraceful behavior!"_

"Quiet you!" said Erik, "I have no intention of being lectured by a cat!"

"_You great humbug!"_ Othello repeated under his breath. Suzette looked at him with her wide, blue eyes.

"Please? I am thirteen years old now, aren't I? Thirteen is very nearly grown-up!" Erik pondered the question for a moment. It had been nearly three years since they had moved to the house in the sun and they had yet to see even a shadow of their adversaries. Suzette was much bigger now and it was important that she get the chance to play with other children.

"Very well then my dear little Suzette. You may go out and have your adventure on the conditions that your return before sunset, and that you always remember that no matter what happens out there, I am always your friend." Suzette laughed and embraced him.

"_Humph!"_ exclaimed Othello as he winked his green eyes at his master and mistress, "_Some friend indeed! I've got my eye on you, you detestable trouble-maker!"_

"Quiet, cat!" Erik retorted.

"_Quiet yourself, ghost!" _the cat grumbled.

And so it was that Suzette set off for the village, eager for the very first adventure she'd ever had on her own. She followed the road down a little ways, keeping an eye on her surroundings. She didn't want to get lost on her first time out. Erik would be beside himself with worry if she didn't come back on time, and if he had to come looking for her in the middle of the night, he might never allow her out again. She resolved that as long as the remained on the road into town, she would not get lost.

The day was a little chilly, but the sun was bright and warm and she could feel its rays on her shoulders and hair. The road was broken and rutted from decades of wagons traveling through mud, and here and there she found a piece of a broken wheel or axle. At one point, such a wagon went by and she waved to the driver, who looked at her curiously, then smiled and waved back. She had been walking for nearly an hour when she came to a little footpath that branched off the road to her left. She had meant to go to the village to see the school there and hopefully find other children to play with, but something about this quiet little path enchanted her. She resolved to continue down the path a bit and see where it led.

She hadn't been walking very long, when she noticed the sound of a stream. She thought there must be some water running parallel to this path and she quickened her pace, hoping to find a place where she could get close enough to the water to get a drink. Suddenly the trail divided again and an even smaller trail veered off in the direction of the water, and up a steep hill. She used branches and the roots of trees to pull herself to the top and peaked through the weeds and brush and saw a little stream gurgling a few feet away, below her. She lowered herself down slowly and removed her shoes before stepping into the cool water. She knelt down and filled her hands with water so she could drink. When she had her fill, she straightened up and listened around her. She was certain she heard the sound of voices, but was uncertain of the direction they came from. Where they further downstream in the creek bed, on the path above her, or somewhere in the woods on the other side? Forgetting her precautions to keep from getting lost, she headed downstream to where she thought she heard the voices.

As she moved closer she heard the voices growing louder. She rounded a bend and beheld several boys and girls in ragged clothing, playing together in the creek bed. She peeked out at the children from the shadow of a large tree trunk that had toppled over to form a natural bridge across the rocky stream. She saw three large boys running and splashing through the water. They were barefoot and laughing as they stumbled clumsily over the slick stones beneath them. Two girls sat on a rock ledge, just above the water's churning surface watching them and shrieking indignantly whenever they came close enough to splash them with icy water. Suzette could hear the shouts and see the forms of other children racing through the brush on the other side. Every now and then, a boy or girl would emerge on the trail and run down to the bank, shouting gleefully. Suzette observed a smaller boy take a running start and catch hold of a rope that someone had fastened to a tree branch above. The woods were then filled with his exclamations of joy as he swung wildly back and forth over the creek bed. Suzette watched with excitement and yearned to give it a try.

Suddenly, she was alarmed by a snapping sound which came from the massive tree roots behind her. She backed off from it, praying it wasn't a snake. Then she looked above her and saw a small, fair-haired boy with large blue eyes, not two meters from where she sat hunched beneath. His handsome face was twisted with concentration as his hands reached timidly for some branches a foot away from him. He was clearly afraid of falling onto the rocky surface beneath him and Suzette noticed that the pupils of his lovely, blue eyes never stayed fixed, but trembled back and forth constantly. Suzette wondered if he were blind. Suddenly, he called out to the other children.

"Help me, Etienne!" One of the bigger boys glanced over and laughed.

"You got yourself up there, Mathieu, now you may get yourself down!"

"Martine, please?" Whether either of the girls on the bank was Martine, Suzette couldn't tell, for neither of them stirred or even looked in the boy's direction. Suzette looked up again and saw that the boy had inched close enough to grab the roots and his small frame was now handing from one of them as he struggled to get his footing on another branch which was feet further then he could ever stretch his little legs. Before Suzette could even shout a warning, the root gave way and Mathieu collapsed to the ground so close to Suzette that she could have reached out to touch him with very little trouble. He landed square on his feet, but then toppled over forward and landed on his hands. He gave a little cry and then slowly got back to his feet. He drew his breath sharply and Suzette saw that his hands were scratched and covered with mud. He stepped forward slowly, toward the water, reaching out until his bare feet found the cool water. He then reached down and rinsed his hands in the stream. Suzette came a bit further out from the tree trunk and watched him, hoping he wasn't too badly hurt.

Suddenly the boy turned about and his eyes fell upon Suzette. She froze and stared at him, wondering if he could see her. His eyes stared straight at her, but the boy was silent for several long moments. She was nearly sure that he couldn't see her at all and it was only coincidental that his eyes seemed fixed on her, when he said in his small voice, "What are you doing back there?"

"I-I was just watching," Suzette stammered. He remained still and Suzette began to wonder if he had even heard her, when he replied rather softly, "Oh." The boy crept closer to her and seemed to drink her in. The merry voices of the other children continued, but Suzette felt swallowed by silence.

"I'm called Mathieu, what is your name, please?"

"I'm Suzette," she replied, relieved that the silence was broken.

"That's a nice name," Mathieu said politely, "Where do you live?" Suzette pointed in the direction she had come from and said, "That way, a good bit out from the village."

"Oh," said Mathieu and he pointed as well, "That's my Aunt Anne's house just back there. I live with her now. My parents are dead." Suzette was somewhat taken aback at the blatant way he said this and she struggled to come up with a response.

"Do you like it there?" Mathieu was silent for a long time again before he answered, "Yes. I do." Suzette was relieved, because she didn't want this pleasant little fellow to have any more unhappiness.

"Those are my cousins, Etienne and Martine," he told her pointing to the crowd of children. Suzette nodded and there was another long silence. She wondered if Mathieu had seen her nod or not.

"I am an orphan as well," she said. Mathieu's expression changed to one of surprise.

"Did you run away from the gypsies?" he asked in an amazed voice.

"No, I've never with any gypsies."

" My Aunt Anne says that orphans who don't have any Aunt Anne are often sold to gypsies."

"How horrid!" Suzette exclaimed, "But I didn't go to any gypsies. I went to the orphanage, and then I was rescued by Erik."

"Who is Erik?" Mathieu asked. Suzette wasn't sure what to tell him.

"Erik is a ghost," she said with uncertainty.

"A real ghost?" he asked as his eyes lit up with excitement.

"Fairly real. I live in his house now."

"Is it a haunted house?"

"Well, I suppose it is." Suddenly, Mathieu's look of amazement became on of suspicion, "Are you a ghost too?" Suzette laughed.

"Well of course not!"

"Are you sure?"

"If I were a ghost, would I be outside playing in a creek bed?" His face brightened and he said, "No, of course not!"

"Mathieu, may I ask you a question?" she asked timidly.

"Certainly."

"Can you see?" Mathieu smiled at her and said, "Some things I can see."

"Can you see me?" she pressed.

"Yes."

The two of them sat on a ledge by the water for some time talking about ghosts and swapping stories. "I like ghost stories!" Mathieu said mischievously. Suzette was in the middle of a highly fabricated version of the events surrounding Prudence Peabody's abrupt departure from her bedroom, when Mathieu pointed his tiny, thin finger toward the water's edge and cried, "Whatever is that?" Suzette followed his gaze and ran down to the stream to investigate. She came back with her arms dripping wet and clutching a very handsome turtle, which she proudly showed to Mathieu.

"He's so pretty," Mathieu cooed as she admired his textured shell and wrinkled appendages. "Let's go show him to the others, Suzette!"

Mathieu, Suzette, and the turtle made their way toward where the other children were.

"Look, Martine! Look at this turtle!" Martine glanced at the turtle and let out a piercing shriek.

"Augh! Mathieu! Get it away! Put that ugly thing back in the water!"

"He's not ugly!" Mathieu exclaimed with indignation.

"Hey, let me see that!" said Etienne boisterously as he snatched the unfortunate turtle away. Suzette noticed with dismay that Mathieu's cousin was even larger up close.

"Give him back!" Mathieu cried.

"I have a better idea!" Etienne said calmly, "We can use this turtle to play a game. You wanted to play with us didn't you Mathieu?" Mathieu nodded slowly. Suzette had a sick feeling in her stomach. She didn't even want to imagine what this great bully intended to do to that turtle. The unfortunate creature seemed to realize his precarious situation for he had stuffed himself completely into his shell and sealed it shut.

"Well right now we are going to play pirates," Etienne continued, "And this turtle is going to be the hostage!" and with that he tossed the turtle to his friend, who caught it sloppily, and hollered, "To the pirate cave, mate's!" and the creek bed echoed with their war cries as they ran off into the woods.

"No, bring him back!" Mathieu screamed as they disappeared, "Make them come back, Martine." Martine just shrugged and said, "Don't be a baby, Mathieu. It's only an ugly old turtle." Mathieu looked to Suzette with tears streaming down his face.

"Don't cry, Mathieu," she said softly, trying not to sound as uneasy as she felt, "I know exactly how to deal with pirates."

Mathieu led Suzette through a maze of paths until they came to a deep hole in the earth. Suzette saw that it was the stone foundation of a small building, which had been covered with spare bits of wood that generations of boys had found and strung together.

"They're in there," Mathieu told her and he showed her the entrance. Suzette mustered up all her courage and then called into the den, "Come out pirates! I've come to rescue the turtle!"

"Aren't you going in there?" Mathieu asked.

"No. You should never follow a pirate into their cave." At last, Etienne and his accomplices showed themselves.

"Go away, girl! You can't fight us!"

"I don't intend to fight you," Suzette said, trying to imitate Erik's cold, angry voice, "A gentleman should never fight a lady. But I will defeat you none the less." Etienne scowled at her.

"What, aren't you scared of us?"

"No, I'm not afraid of anything." Etienne stalked up to Suzette so that his nose was inches away from her own. "You're afraid of me. I'll wager I could make you scream, right enough." Suzette felt anger boiling inside her. No one had ever tried to intimidate her in this way.

"I'm not afraid of you or anyone, pirate," she hissed, "You don't know who you are dealing with."

"Very well then, me proud beauty," Etienne announced in his most terrifying pirate voice, "I will make you a deal. If you can make me or any of me mates scream first, then you may have the turtle back, but if you scream first…then you will have to walk the plank. Do you agree?" Suzette glared at him defiantly.

"I agree."

The boys spent the next hour coming up with ways to torture and terrify Suzette. The terms included that neither party could intentionally cause pain to the other, but anything else was fair game. Mathieu watched in horror as they boys tied her up and blindfolded her. They jumped out from behind trees and shouted boo! Then they searched the woods for horrible things to make her touch, telling her, "This is brains." Or "This is guts." They removed the blindfold and placed a small green snake on her lap. Etienne found an large and rather hairy spider and placed it on her forehead. One of the boy, called Peter, cringed at this for he secretly feared spiders above all else. "Oh, stop whimpering," said Suzette, "It's only a spider!" Next, they replace the blindfold and made wolf howls and shouted, "Oh no lads! It's a pack of wolves. Run for it!" and even Mathieu was taken in by this and scampered into the woods to escape the "wolves" before he realized that it was a trick. Suzette remained very calm through all of it. She was extraordinarily brave for a young girl, most likely due to her years of experience living with the most unreasonable of ghosts. The boys' admiration of her grew as she passed each new trial without as much as a shriek. When the boys had at last exhausted their imaginations they let her go and Etienne said haughtily, "Well you still shall not get your turtle back me lady, for you will never make us scream."

During the whole episode, Suzette had been wracking her little brain for a way to make the boys scream. Erik had played every sort of terrifying trick on her, and by the time it was her turn, she knew exactly what to do.

"I can make you scream with this!" she declared triumphantly as she reaching in her pocket. All the boys drew back, but then laughed when they saw that all she held was a pack of cards.

"You are going to make us scream with a pack of cards?"

"Yes I will," said she, "Come and get in a circle around me and I will show you. You as well, Mathieu!"

Suzette showed them the pack and they passed it around and all agreed that it was an everyday pack of cards. She fanned the pack upside-down so they couldn't see the faces and said to Etienne, "Draw a card but don't show me the face." Etienne did as he was told smugly. He drew a two-of-clubs.

"Now take this lead and mark it so you will know it, then place it back, anywhere in the deck." Etienne obeyed.

"Now I will show you your card," she said and she flipped the deck over and to their surprise, every one of the cards was a two-of-clubs.

"That's not a very good trick!" said Etienne, "You just switched the deck somehow."

"Oh, really? Yes, I switched deck just like this. Mathieu, would you be good enough to wave your right hand over the deck?" Mathieu looked puzzled, but did as she asked. Suzette then flipped the deck once more and the backs of all the cards, which had previously been a deep blue, oriental design had become a black spider-web. All the boys gasped in astonishment.

"But what good would a spider-web be without a spider?" Suzette asked and she turned to Peter and said, "Please wave your left hand over the deck." Peter raised his hand timidly and waved it over the deck and there on the back of his hand was the same ugly, big spider that they had set on Suzette earlier. Peter screamed so loud that every bird in the vicinity took flight. The poor spider, who had spent a weary afternoon being the entertainment of mindless children, tumbled to the ground and scampered off into the dust. The boys drew their breath and stared at her in amazement.

"That was a brilliant trick!" Etienne exclaimed at last, "Where on earth did you learn it?"

"From Erik," Suzette replied blushing.

"Who is Erik?" they asked.

"He's the ghost she lives with," Mathieu piped, "Now give me back my turtle!" The turtle was returned to him, and Suzette spent the rest of the day telling ghost stories to Mathieu and the other boys.

"I love ghost stories!" said Mathieu happily.

At sunset, Suzette returned from her adventure to find the main floor of the house in a shambles. There were glass orbs and coils of wire everywhere and someone had drawn several lines and arrows all over the wall.

"Erik?" she called into the dark, gloomy room and suddenly she was blinded as each and every orb filled up with the brightest light she had ever seen. Momentarily her sight came back to her, though there were little yellow specks on everything she saw.

"Oh there you are, dear! How was your trip into town?"

"Very nice. What are you up to in here?" Erik laughed and said, "What this? I was bored with you gone so I set to wiring all the rooms in main floor for electric lights. The dining room already had some, but I wanted it everywhere. I much prefer it to the old gas lamps. It'll be much cooler in the hot weather and you don't have that awful smell all the time. I hope to have the whole house done by this summer! Aren't they lovely?"

"They are very bright!" said Suzette, still blinking profusely.

"Yes they are indeed. All the better for one's eyes." Suzette giggled at that.

"Erik, you can see just as well in the dark as Othello can!" Erik laughed again and said, "Oh, that reminds me! I think that your old cat is warming up to me after all! Earlier, when I was trying to thread the wiring through the walls, he kept batting at the switches and making the lights go on and off. He was trying to help me, the little dear! Would you believe that, Suzette?"

"_I did nothing of the sort, you impertinent monster!" _came Othello's angry voice from the hallway, _"I was hoping to electrocute the blackguard!"_

"Oh, dear!" Erik exclaimed and Suzette giggled again.

"Don't worry." she whispered solemnly, "Othello can't electrocute you if he expects to be fed."

"That's right!" he responded cheerfully, "Dead people rarely feed their pets!" and together they started on setting the room straight while Suzette told him about Mathieu and the turtle.


	6. The Phantom Meets the Prince of Humbug

It was a lovely, warm afternoon just between summer and autumn. Suzette and Mathieu were sprawled out on the floor, listening with great joy as Erik told them stories and gave them lessons. Mathieu was the only friend that ever came to visit Suzette's house. Those who had not being dispirited away personally by the phantom had heard the stories of those unfortunate wretches who had and kept clear away from the place, lest they be cursed as well. In fact, even the bravest boys in the village would only run up to touch the front steps on a dare and then dart back into the woods across the road. Erik quite enjoyed frightening the daylights out of simple children and in spite of Suzette's wails of consternation; he could find no fault with it.

"It's only harmless little jokes and illusions," he would explain with satisfaction, "It's rather amusing to me and it gives the little dears something exciting to talk about." Suzette would then stomp her feet and pout at him, but he would only rumple her hair and say, "My goodness! You must learn to have a bit of fun!" The reader can probably understand why Suzette rarely attempted to bring friends into the house anymore.

Then, in early summer, when all the farmers' children were called to help with the harvest, it became apparent to Mathieu's Aunt Anne that though the boy was always eager to help, he wasn't ever going to be good for much work. But not seeing any benefit that the boy could get from school, and not having the money to pay for it anyway, Aunt Anne sent the small boy out alone everyday to "pick berries" and "amuse himself until dinner". During these long summer days, Mathieu followed Suzette around adoringly. Suzette enjoyed his company immensely and wracked her little head, trying to come up with new games and adventures for them. Mathieu asked her nearly every day to go and see the ghost house, but Suzette was so afraid of losing her only friend, she always came up with an excuse not to.

Then one afternoon, Erik looked up from his tomes to find Suzette before him with her diminutive fists on her waist and a very solemn expression on her face.

"Yes, my dear? Whatever is it?"

"Erik," she said gravely, "My friend, Mathieu, is waiting outside."

"Splendid! Just let me have a moment to get ready and find the matches…"

"No!" she exclaimed coldly. Erik stared at her. She looked on the verge of tears.

"Mathieu is my only friend and if you can't come down and be pleasant then you can just leave us both alone!" She stood glaring at him. Erik was speechless.

"Do you understand?" she demanded.

"I do," he said softly and Suzette spun around and headed toward the door. Then he spoke again.

"N-no, Suzette," he whispered, "I don't understand. I thought I was your friend." Suzette turned around slowly.

"It's not the same, Erik. I need to have other friends, too." He nodded.

"As you wish, Suzette. I shall leave you both alone."

"Thank you," she said quietly. She really hated to hurt him, but it simply had to be so.

Over the next few days, Suzette and Mathieu went rampaging through the house, playing many games and having great fun. Mathieu had never seen anything like the haunted house before and he went about, exploring every corner with his hands. Erik was true to his promise and kept a distance, watching them jealously. In the evenings, he was cross and quiet. Suzette knew that he was hurting and there was hardness in the pit of her stomach.

One afternoon, the two playmates were having a game of hide-and-seek. The house was perfect for this sort of thing, as there were so many perfect places to hide. Unfortunately, Mathieu was at a tremendous disadvantage, as he couldn't see Suzette as well, and Suzette already knew all the best hiding places. It was his turn to hide and he wandered up to the second floor, trying different doors and scheming to come up with the best hiding place possible. It was under these circumstances that he happened on Erik, in a foul mood, writing in the music room. They stared at each other for a moment and then Erik bowed and said, "It is an honor, Mathieu."

"Are you Erik?" he chirped softly.

"I am." Mathieu stared in his direction with his large, hazy blue eyes. Erik saw for the first time how small he was and that he was nearly blind.

"I love your house," he whispered, "It's the most wonderful place I've ever seen!"

"Thank you."

"I've always wanted to meet a ghost," he whispered gleefully, "I like ghosts!" Erik was somewhat surprised at this frail-looking child's apparent lack of terror. Even Suzette had trembled when they had first met.

"Why are you whispering?" Erik asked him.

"Because, I'm trying to find a place to hide from Suzette," he replied cheerfully, "And she's found me every time!" Erik thought for a moment, then said, "I know just where to hide you."

Meanwhile, Suzette was on her way up the stairs. She knew Mathieu had gone that way because she had heard him stumble on the way up. She searched her bedroom and sitting room. Then she went through the library, checking in all her best hiding places. She was then beginning to get frustrated. It had never taken her so long to find him and she had run out of places to look. It then occurred to her that Erik might have had something to do with it. She considered this for a moment. Erik had been keeping his promise not to bother them, but she could tell that his jealousy had not been improving over time. On the other hand, she hadn't heard Mathieu scream at all, so Erik couldn't have done anything too terrible to him. Suzette went through the house again, from top to bottom, this time calling, "Mathieu? I give up! Come out!" But to no avail. She found herself standing outside the music room again, where she knew Erik was. She knew he would be angry and upset if she accused him of breaking his promise, but she didn't know what else to do. Timidly, she pushed open the door and looked in on him. He was at his desk, pouring over a score, and quite obviously in a bad mood.

"Erik?" she whispered.

"Yes, what is it?" he replied shortly.

"Did you- Do you know where Mathieu went?"

"No," he said without looking up, "Perhaps he went home."

"He wouldn't leave without saying good-bye!" Erik looked up and stared at her through his mask.

"Perhaps he was bored," he said smugly, "Perhaps he took his leave while you were waiting for him to hide."

"But I heard him come up here," she whined. Erik gestured about the room as if to say, "Do you see him?"

"Are you quite sure you don't know what became of him?" Suzette asked persistently. She was on the verge of tears.

"My dear young lady, do you think I swallowed him whole? I certainly don't have time to keep track of your playmates." Suzette turned away, forlorn, when suddenly she heard a muffled giggle.

"What was that?" she asked.

"What was what?"

"That sound! I think I heard him!"

"What in here?" Erik said incredulously. Suzette motioned for him to be quiet and tiptoed to the far corner of the room. Suddenly, there was another muffled sound and Suzette cried again, "I hear him! I hear him!"

"I believe you are hallucinating, my girl," Erik replied and turned back to his scores. Suzette ran over to the wall where the instruments were kept and suddenly Mathieu burst forth from within a cello case, with a terrible shriek. Suzette shrieked herself and hugged him.

"I fooled you! I fooled you!" he sang gleefully.

"My dear children, could I have a little more quiet in here? I am trying to work!"

That evening, Mathieu went home proudly with an invitation written by the ghost himself. Aunt Anne couldn't read, but he explained that the ghost wanted him to come every day for the rest of the summer and have lessons with Suzette. Aunt Anne was rather worried that Mathieu had fallen into the hands of a rather eccentric and perhaps dangerous person, but after listening to an hour of pleading from him and Suzette, and having absolutely nothing more practical to do with the lad, she grudgingly gave her consent. So it became the custom for Mathieu to arrive every morning on the arm of Martine, who would return just before sunset to collect him.

During those hours they had many wonderful adventures as Erik poured himself into teaching Matheiu, just as he had for Suzette. He discovered that the boy had a pleasant little soprano voice, and lovingly taught him to sing. He also ordered a brand new Braille machine and some Braille books so that the child could learn to read without straining his poor eyes. It was doubtful to Erik that the boy's vision would improve over time.

It was on such an afternoon that the three of them sat discussing Rousseau and the peculiar scandal he started at the Parisian opera between proponents of the French lyric and the Italian virtuosic styles.

"The whole affair was a rather foolish plot to turn the people against the king. Trying to prove that Italian opera was superior to French opera was as preposterous as trying to say a red rose is prettier then a white swan! Rousseau was a fraud, trying to create division amongst honorable musicians!"

"Did Rousseau even compose opera?" Mathieu asked.

"He plagiarized mostly, and what he did compose was mediocre at best. His only gifts were for rabble rousing and ruining the reputations of decent men."

"How did he do that?" the children asked, wide-eyed.

"By writing lies about them in his pamphlets. He would steal a man's work in one paragraph and insult him in the next. But here, my dears, you can read all about it in these books." He handed the books to Suzette and they scampered to the window seat to read together. Suddenly, there came the buzz of an electric bell.

"Who's there?" Erik called jokingly and to the children he said, "It is the post, my dears, I shall be back in a moment." Erik descended the stairs, greeted the postman from behind the door, and paid him as was his custom. He was shocked to find that he had received a letter addressed to, 'The Opera Ghost'. He supposed that it had been written by Firman, or rather, by some assistant, as the letters were neat and box-like, not at all like Firman's flowing hand. Erik grumbled to himself, wondering what new trouble was going to be visited upon him. Firman had never sent him any correspondence before and Erik had hoped that particular window in his life had been shut up for good.

When he returned to the music room he found the children engaged in their own little 'guerre de buffons', using seat cushions as ammunition rather then incriminating pamphlets. When they saw him they settled back down at once and Erik went and sat at the desk, reading his letter. Suzette nearly fell out of her seat with surprise when Erik jumped up and exclaimed, "I don't believe it!" Suzette looked at Mathieu, who was staring into space curiously and then back to Erik, who seemed to be reading the paper over and over.

"I don't believe it!" he repeated.

"What?" Suzette asked.

"I don't believe it!" Erik exclaimed for the third time.

"For heaven's sake, Erik, what don't you believe?" Erik came over to her and handed her the paper by way of explanation. Apparently, he was still too stunned to speak. Suzette turned the paper over and began to read:

Dear Monsieur,

I hope this letter finds you in good health. In fact, I hope this letter finds you at all. I must tell you that you are not an easy fellow to track down. I am Phineus Taylor Barnum., showman extraordinaire, and co-owner and founder of the Barnum and Bailey Circus-The Greatest Show on Earth. I am a dedicated fan of yours, and I should like nothing more then to have the famous Phantom of the Opera billed in next season's American tour. I promise you will love America as much as I wager America will love you! Be assured also that money is no object. Please find enclosed the necessary funds for a passage to London, where a portion of my company is doing a small tour. I humbly invite you to come and see the show for yourself. I await you arrival with tremendous anticipation.

Sincerely,

P.T. Barnum

Suzette finished reading the letter and looked at Erik in puzzlement.

"What impertinence!" he exclaimed, "I simply can't wait to meet the man!"

"Erik, what does this mean?" Suzette asked.

"It means, my dear, that you and I shall be going to the circus!"

Exactly one week later, Erik, Suzette, and Mathieu were bobbing along in an enormous ship, crossing the channel. Erik had told Mathieu remorsefully that it was entirely unlikely that he would be permitted to go. Most Aunt Annes are not at all understanding when their 10-year-old, blind nephews are invited to go on a once-in-a-lifetime adventure to foreign lands and meet a world-famous swindler and his band of circus performers, chaperoned only by a ghost.

"But if Aunt Anne says I can go?" Mathieu pleaded.

"Then we would be happy to have you, but I'm afraid it is most impossible."

But on the evening of their departure, Mathieu came stumbling up to the porch, clutching an impossibly large bag and shrieking happily, "She said, yes! She said, yes!" Erik looked at Suzette, stunned as Mathieu stuffed a wrinkly bit of paper on which he had scrawled the words, "my nefew (mathieu) can go to the curcus." On the bottom of the paper was his Aunt's signature in wobbly hand.

"She only knows how to write her name, so I had to write the note, but she signed it!" Erik would not have been entirely convinced of the authority of this note, but for the fact that Mathieu proudly displayed a large cake wrapped in cheesecloth, which his aunt had made them for the journey. Erik had to wonder what Mathieu's aunt had been drinking when she gave him permission, but he himself knew very little about the rules of being a parent, so he figured that Aunt Anne simply recognized that Erik was a respectable fellow and was sure to return her young ward in the best of conditions. In any event, it was established that Mathieu was to accompany them on their journey to meet the greatest showman on earth.

They had traveled to the train station under cover of night. Erik wanted to avoid the curious stares as much as possible. Mr. Barnum had sent them more then enough money for a private bunk on the train. Neither of the children had ever been on a train before and they delighted in the sights and sounds of the powerful engine, the long, bouncy corridors, the clinking, clanging dinning car, and the foul-smelling smoking car. Erik remained snug in his cabin, watching the occasional lights of a town shoot by. It was sunrise when they arrived in Breton and Erik had to drag them though the bustling village to the waiting vessel. The children stared wide-eyed at the various, colorful venders and bustling customers, as they stared back at the man in the mask and the small boy with the strange, darting eyes. They were one of the first parties to have boarded the ship, and Erik walked about with the children, explaining the rigging, the sail mechanisms, and countless other items and procedures that interested them. The sailors and deckhands were busy preparing for their departure and hardly gave them a second glance. By lunchtime, the other passengers were beginning to crowd the deck and cramped hallways with their large hooped skirts and clumsy trunks. The three travelers disappeared into their cabin for a light supper. Erik ate nothing, for he hadn't forgotten the last time he had been on a ship and he knew that anything he consumed he would be seeing again. Suzette asked if they might go up to the deck to see the departure, but Erik couldn't tolerate the notion of so many people crowded around him, and Mathieu was in favor of a nap. After lunch, all three of them fell asleep and slumbered heavily until well after standard dinnertime.

That evening, the three of them sat discussing the adventure before them. Erik translated an article from a London newspaper, describing the Barnum and Bailey circus acts.

"Will we really get to see acrobats and contortionists?" Mathieu asked euphorically.

"Certainly, Mathieu, and according to this article, Mr. Barnum has a tremendous menagerie of exotic animals, including a giant elephant he purchased from the London Zoo."

"Oooh!" exclaimed Mathieu, "Is it a white elephant like the one the little Siamese boy in my picture book has?"

"He will be before long if Mr. Barnum finds more people will pay to see a white elephant."

"I can't wait to see the bareback riders and the magicians!" Suzette said dreamily, "Are we going to join the circus like Mr. Barnum asked in his letter?"

"Indeed not. The circus is no life for a child. Besides, who would feed Othello?"

"He can come with us! We could dress in pink tutus and I'd teach him to do tricks. The circus is the perfect place for a talking cat! Wouldn't it be lovely to travel to America? See all the cities like New York and St. Louis? Performing all the way?"

"Ah yes, and then after your act you can come and see me in the freak show. I'll be the one locked in a cage with a crowd of people around me shrieking in terror and pointing and jeering, 'Look at the living-corpse!'" Suzette stared at him in horror.

"Do you really think that Mr. Barnum would put you in a cage?"

"Perhaps not a real cage. But I can think of nothing less pleasant then a crowd of people staring at me day in and day out and whispering amongst themselves about how strange and morbid I am. Even if they never saw my face, even if they only saw my mask, they would still be wondering what lies beneath. They would look upon me with hate, or disgust, or pity. It doesn't matter, it's all the same. None of them would ever see me as anything but a freak and a monster." Suzette looked at him sadly. Mathieu didn't know what to say. At last, he simply said, "Oh Erik, why are we even going then? Why didn't we stay home in the village, far away from those men with their cages." Erik patted the lad on the head and said, "Now don't you worry about Erik, my dear boy. There's not a man alive who can cage me now. But I certainly don't wish to die without seeing the Greatest Show on Earth, at least once. And not every one gets an invitation from the great P.T. Barnum himself!"

Later, as Suzette lay peacefully in her bunk, Mathieu tossed and turned. His stomach ached and he felt as if he would be sick. Erik sat up reading. He knew that any effort at sleep would be futile in the belly of this rampaging bull of a ship. He noticed the little fellow's grief and went over to him.

"Are you ill?" he asked and the miserable child nodded weakly. Erik fetched a basin just in time. He then lifted the child up and sat down with him in the chair, stroking his back gently.

"I'm sorry you aren't feeling well, Mathieu," he whispered.

"I wish Maman was here…" the boy moaned.

"I know you do," whispered Erik as he mopped the perspiration from the boy's face, "But we shall be there in just a few hours and then your stomach will be better."

"Please don't tell Suzette I was sick!" Mathieu begged, "She'll make fun of me."

"I promise, dear boy. Suzette needn't know about that."

All through the night, Erik hummed soothing tunes to the child, until he was asleep in his embrace. Erik was glad that Mathieu had come with them. He doubted seriously that anywhere in the world there was a boy who deserved a chance to see the Greatest Show on Earth more so then the gentle little spirit in his arms. The atmosphere seemed so peaceful that Erik shut his eyes and was able to get some rest the last few hours before dawn.

It was still early morning when the ship docked. Most of the other passengers were still waking up and getting dressed when Erik, Mathieu, and Suzette went galloping through the corridors, making entirely too much noise for Erik's taste. The dock was awake with people and had been for sometime. The children took Erik's hands shyly as they heard the gruff-looking people bellow at one another in their hoarse, sharp accents. Erik had taught Suzette quite a lot of English, but in this strange place, she could understand very little of it indeed. Erik kept himself hidden behind his mask and a long, hooded cloak. They got more then one curious look from people as they passed.

Erik had instructed Suzette that she should do all the talking and that if anyone asked, he was their elderly uncle, taking them for a tour of Britain, and spoke no English. Erik led them up to a fruit vendor and Suzette timidly asked the woman where they might find a place to rent a carriage. The woman eyed them suspiciously, giving Erik's mask a particularly scornful glare, and said, "What's wrong with that boy? Why's he got them funny eyes?" Suzette felt Erik tense up behind her and he pulled Mathieu safely behind his cloak so the vendor couldn't stare at him. Suzette didn't know the English words to describe Mathieu's lack of vision, so she stared at her feet and recited her request for a carriage once more. The woman's plain face wrinkled into a sneer. She wiped her filthy hands on an even filthier apron and pointed a sharp finger toward the road.

"You can walk up to the corner and get a hack there," she said in a condescending jeer. Suzette pretended to translate that for Erik, who was already eyeing the crowd of people at the corner disdainfully.

"Ask her where we can rent a carriage for the day," he whispered to her in French. Suzette did as he instructed her, hoping that she wasn't making too bad a job of it.

"Isn't there a stable where we could rent a carriage for the whole day?" At this, the woman became very cross and said in a threatening voice, "No, I don't know what you're talking about! You can get a taxi," she grumbled as she made a gesture like a person driving horses, "There!" and she thrust her finger in the direction of the street. She said this with such force that Suzette was compelled to step backward, away from her. Erik took her arm in his and hurried them away. Suzette could hear the woman shrieking with cruel laughter and yelling strange words at them as they departed.

"I must not have said it right," Suzette moaned.

"Nonsense, you spoke perfectly," Erik insisted, "That old witch understood you, she was just being difficult." Erik led them to the street where all the people were gathered, fighting over coaches.

"_How are we to get a carriage without attracting too much attention?_" Suzette wondered. She looked at Erik who was whispering into Mathieu's ear. Mathieu's eyes widened in earnest and he nodded. He then let out a shriek that made a nearby horse rear up and several ladies gasp and hold their little fingers to their painted lips. Mathieu shrieked again and darted into the center of the crowd, where he collapsed, still trembling violently and shrieking like a drunken demon.

Suzette and Erik hurried over to where Mathieu lay. Suzette didn't know what to say but Erik then cried out, "Mathieu! Mathieu! Mon enfant malhereux! Tu as besoin de ton potion! Mon Dieu, aidons-nous!" Suzette did her best to keep up the act.

"It's my brother!" she wailed, "He's having another one of his fits! He needs his medicine straight away!" The crowd stared at Mathieu in horror, but no one moved to touch them.

"Please, someone help us!" Suzette cried, "Someone get us a carriage!"

Suddenly, the crowd parted and a gentleman appeared before them. He was tall, balding, and dressed in the finest of English suites. His face was worn, but rather kind and appealing.

"What have we here, young lady?" he asked warmly, bending over them. Suzette looked up at the gentleman. He looked so kindly that she almost hated to deceive him.

"My brother is having one of his fits, sir! We need to get him home so he can get his medicine!" The gentleman looked from the wide-eyed girl, to the thrashing child, to the strange bandit in the black mask, and a broad smile spread across his face.

"I shall take you in my own carriage," he declared calmly and he said to the crowd in a confident voice, "Let's say we get these fine people into my carriage?" Whether it was the irresistible warmth of his smile, or the certainty of his voice, the people moved aside as if mesmerized and two gentlemen came forward to carry their trunk to the carriage and secure it to the back. Erik lifted the still quaking Mathieu and went with the men to the carriage, while Suzette followed along bewildered. Once they were all settled inside, the gentleman asked, "Now, where abouts do you live?" Suzette looked at Erik and translated the question. Erik fumbled around in his pockets and came up with the paper on which Mr. Barnum had written the location of the theater. He handed it to the gentleman, who examined it carefully. He looked at them with his sparkling eyes and said, "How very convenient! I was going there myself anyway. That's just where I am staying." He passed this information on to the driver and the carriage took off.

"Now, then," the man started amiably after he had examined each of his passengers, "How long have you been in England, my dear?"

"Not long," Suzette answered. At least, she thought that's what she had said.

"The young man seems to be recovering well enough, without his medicine." Suzette looked over at Mathieu, who had forgotten his illness and had his nose pressed tightly against the windowpane. Suzette struggled to quickly come up with an explanation, when the man chuckled and said, "That's a pretty good trick to get a free ride! I really must remember it." Suzette smiled, quite relieved. She glanced over at Erik. His lips were pushed together in very tight line. Suzette wondered if he was worried or if he was trying not to laugh.

"May I assume, young lady, that your companion understands a little more English then he cares to let on?" Suzette smiled at him nervously, "It's certainly possible, sir." The man gave her a nod and a wink, "Very political. Of course that is completely forgivable, mademoiselle. I tend not to let on that I can understand French when I'm in Paris. One learns the most amazing things that way."

"Have you been to Paris, sir?" Suzette asked, attempting to change the subject.

"A few times, mademoiselle. I have some close acquaintances there and every now and then a business transaction that requires my personal attention."

"What sort of business do you do, sir?" Suzette asked. It occurred to her that such a question might be considered impolite for a young lady to ask, but her repertoire of questions in English was rather limited. The gentleman didn't seem to mind at all.

"Well, my dear, I am the largest distributor of flim-flam in the world."

"Oh, I see," said Suzette politely. She didn't know what flim-flam was but from the luxurious look of this gentleman's clothes, she imagined it was something that people bought quite a lot of. Perhaps something like shaving blades, or candles, or stationary.

The rest of the trip passed with many consecutive narratives from the stranger, most of which Suzette didn't understand. These were broken occasionally by Mathieu's sudden bursts of joy when his eyes found something he liked through the window. Erik sat silently and moved only to place his hand lightly on Mathieu's shoulder when he got too excited. When they arrived at their destination, the gentleman opened the door for them and they scrambled from the carriage to the lobby, to avoid being soaked in the pouring rain.

"Well, monsieur," said the man, addressing Erik directly for the first time, "I am so very glad that you have decided to come to London. I certainly hope that you will give me the honor of having you're here for supper."

"The honor would be mine, Mr. Barnum," said Erik graciously. Suzette's mouth fell open. Mr. Barnum acknowledged him with a small bow and said, "Let's say we go up and eat in my suite. I'm in favor of a peaceful meal before the hustle and bustle of the show tonight." Erik voiced his agreement and the whole party headed up to Mr. Barnum's suite.

"The gentleman, he's Mr. Barnum," Suzette whispered to Mathieu, "They knew each other all along!"

The room was gorgeous and elaborate. From the intrinsic angels in the crown molding to the lavish Persian rugs, the room shone with opulence. They sat down together at a beautiful, Italian table, and while they were waiting for their food, Mr. Barnum got down to business.

"Please allow me to introduce myself properly. I am Phineus Taylor Barnum, humbug extraordinaire. Now how shall I call you? The Phantom of the Opera is a tiresome, long name to go by."

"And a title that I retired without regret. You may call me Erik, Mr. Barnum. It is the only name I have now."

"Very well, sir. Erik it shall be. And who are these charming objects?" he asked motioning to Suzette and Mathieu.

"These are Suzette and Mathieu," Erik replied.

"I see," said Mr. Barnum, "Small phantoms."

"No, monsieur. Angels." Mr. Barnum smiled at Erik and said, "Indeed we are blessed, you and I. I have three at home in Connecticut, you know. Three lovely, little, practical girls, like this one. Men like us need such gentle creatures around to keep us on the straight and narrow. Isn't that right my dear?" Suzette looked at him and nodded slowly, though she had no idea what the straight and narrow meant.

The meal came at once and it was quite satisfactory to the three travelers, though Mr. Barnum eyed it critically.

"It's hard to find good food in this country," he muttered, "Though I do love my stays in London, all the food tastes like paste to me. Hand me that pepper mill, my dear!"

As they were finishing their lunch, the door opened and two interesting characters entered the room. Barnum wiped his face with his napkin and exclaimed, "Bless my soul, you're just in time! Gentlemen, may I present M. Erik, famed villain from the Palais Garnier, and his two young accomplices, Mathieu and Suzette. Erik, this is Mr. Gregory, my financial manager here in London, and Mr. Sutton, the legendary Tom Thumb, and one of my oldest and dearest friends." The gentlemen bowed and the children said, "How do you do?" in their funny, Parisian style.

Suzette and Mathieu stared at Mr. Sutton. He was as bright-eyed and kindly as Mr. Barnum, though a good bit rounder. He was dressed in a fashionable English suit that fit him well. They judged him to be in his mid to late thirties, though he had a lively air about him. But the thing that made them stare was that for all his normal, healthy appearance, Mr. Sutton was not an inch taller then Mathieu. He stood in stark contrast to Mr. Gregory, who was tall and thin and had a distinct no-nonsense look about him.

"Mr. Gregory has come to deliver some papers, on his way to the theater and Mr. Sutton has come for some reason yet unbeknownst to me." Mr. Sutton smiled as Mr. Gregory handed a thick packet to Mr. Barnum and departed and then said, "I only wanted some company, Mr. Barnum. Livinia has gone out with some lady friends, and I have found myself alone in my suite with not a thing to do. So I said to myself, 'Charlie, who do we know that can put us up to some entertaining and well-meaning mischief on this unpleasantly wet afternoon, while our wife is out with friends?' The unanimous decision was you, Taylor."

I believe I have just the adventure for you, Charlie," said Mr. Barnum casually and he turned to the children, "Would you like to go down to the grounds with Mr. Sutton and take an exclusive tour of the menagerie?" Suzette's eyes lit up with excitement. She looked to Erik pleadingly.

"Please, may I go?" Erik had a strange feeling that there were probably very good reasons that he should not allow his handsome, young wards to go away with a strange dwarf he had never met before, with the purpose of exploring the pre-show pandemonium of a circus. Fortunately, he could not think of a single one, so he was obliged to give his consent. The children hopped around with excitement and Mr. Sutton led them from the room, whistling the tune of "Daisy Belle", like some sort of miniature pied piper.

"Now then, Erik," said Mr. Barnum, "Let's get down to business."

"First I should like to know how you found me and came to send me that letter." Mr. Barnum chortled and said, "My dear sir, that is a very long story. To say the least, I read about the mysterious opera ghost while on business in Paris. This evil spirit was attributed to a handful of deaths, accidents, and disappearances. Of course, you know all this."

"Of course. Please, continue, Mr. Barnum."

"I can smell a profitable hoax a mile away and went to the opera to investigate the circumstances, find who was running the hoax, and buy it from the person, if possible. I spent quite a few weeks there in the opera house, interviewing at least a hundred people who claimed to have seen the specter. Each person had an interesting and unique story to tell, and several of them were quite gruesome. It was just the sort of thing that people love to hear about. I became enthralled by the whole affair and employed the use of several spies to find out as much information as I could. My initial conclusion was that the opera ghost was something that the managers had made up in order to attract publicity or to provide a scapegoat for accidents that they would otherwise be held liable for. I harassed them night and day for more information, promising them a small fortune if they would give me their secret. It was not until I heard the interview of one, Madame Giry, regarding the ghost's ingenious scam in which he received a mysterious salary of 20,000 francs a month from the managers that I began to entertain the notion that the managers may in fact be the victims in this hoax. At this point, I had no idea where to look next, so I had one of my spies break into the manager's office. It seemed to me likely that the perpetrator of this scam had intimate knowledge of the opera and how it was run. I asked my spy to gather as much information about the employees and subscribers, specifically names and addresses. From this information, I compiled a list of about 50 likely addresses. I wrote up the letter that brought you here and sent it to each one, along with a substantial amount of money for expenses. I hoped, as I'm sure you have guessed, that at least one of the letters would reach the right person and that person would be compelled to come to London and tell me the whole story. I imagined that the other 49 envelopes would be considered a joke that gave the receiver quite a bit of extra pocket money. So you see, monsieur, I didn't really find you at all, I simply guessed."

Erik seemed much amused by this. "That was indeed a very clever trick. I was so startled by your letter, I never even considered the notion that it might have been a bluff."

"Well I am so very glad that it worked so beautifully. I am astonished. I had no idea who to expect, but I certainly didn't expect you!" Erik laughed aloud at this.

"The humorous thing about it, Mr. Barnum, is that you completely took me in and you don't even know half the story. You were assuming that all the narratives that you heard from chorus girls and stagehands were all rubbish. You believed that the Phantom of the Opera was the creation of their imaginative superstition, encouraged by the efforts of some swindler in the background. You took it that all the singers, the dancers, the crew, the carpenters, the stable boys, the police investigators, the patrons, and even the managers, all of whom told you that the Opera Populaire was under the curse of a phantom,- you took it that they were all 'suckers', as you say. It didn't even occur to you that the Phantom could actually exist."

Erik paused here and glanced at Mr. Barnum. He was leaning so far forward in his chair that he ran the risk of toppling over. He stared at the masked stranger in complete amazement. He had spent nearly two hours with the man, but suddenly he had a tremendous desire to see behind that mask.

"Do you mean to say that you are not the phantom, Monsieur?"

"I do not, Mr. Barnum. You have, indeed, got the right _man_," Erik said this last word with intense disdain.

"I'm afraid I do not understand," Mr. Barnum said, still staring at the mask.

"You will, Mr. Barnum. I shall explain the whole affair. You see, sir, all those people you interviewed _were_ correct that the Phantom of the Opera did exist, but not one of them knew the whole story either. You will be the only one. Not even _she_ knew everything. I see you are looking at my mask now. You wish for me to take it off? You want to see what lies beneath? _The opera ghost has no face, Mr. Barnum!_ But now you are even more confused. Don't fret, Mr. Barnum! I will explain it all to you, free of charge. I want to tell you. Rather, I need to tell you. And you will be the only one to know my whole story."

Erik spent the rest of the afternoon, telling Barnum the tale of how he had come to the Opera Populaire and how he had built his home in the fifth cellar. He told him how the people began to call him the opera ghost and how he had used their superstition to get money, supplies, and his own private box for performances. He explained how he had gotten the managers to give him 20,000 francs each month. He then recounted the tragic tale of how he had seen Christine Daae, fallen in love with her, and became her teacher. He then told how he had abducted her from the stage and imprisoned her with him in his apartment. He told him how the Viscount and the Persian had come to rescue her, only to end up in his room of tortures. He explained the deaths of Bouquet and Philippe de Chagny. Then, sobbing, he recounted how Christine had kissed him for the first time, and he had released her and her lover, to return to the world of the living.

Barnum sat in silence through the whole narrative, moving only to brush a few tears from his face. When he had finished, Erik explained that he had no interest in joining Barnum's circus, that he was, at last, happy as he was and wished to remain so for the rest of his days.

After that, Barnum told him about his show. He told him about the acts he had showed over the years and Erik laughed at the stories of Joyce Heth-the oldest woman in the world, the Fugee Mermaid, the petrified giant, the American museum, and General Tom Thumb. Barnum was in the middle of showing him newspaper photographs of the "General's" wedding when Erik pointed to a strange contraption in the corner of the room.

"What does that do?" he asked.

"Why, that's an Edison Talking Machine," Barnum exclaimed, "Would you like to try it out?" Erik said that he'd love to and Barnum showed him how to put the little cylinders in place and wind the machine up properly. Barnum placed the needle and the room was suddenly filled with his own voice, cracking jokes and praising his circus. Erik was delighted and sat listening to several different cylinders. They were mostly band music, but Erik was amazed at the recorded sound. He wondered if he could build one of his own.

They were in the middle of a rousing Souza march when the children came bounding back into the room, both talking at once.

"Hello, my darlings! Did you have a good time?"

"Oh, Erik!" Suzette exclaimed, "Mr. Thumb showed us the whole sideshow! There were all sorts of performers! Musicians, acrobats, majorettes, and clowns! We got to watch them practicing and there was a big man who took me up on the high wire!"

"My word! A little girl on the high wire? I certainly hope you said, 'thank you'!"

"And I got to ride on the elephant!" Mathieu said, grinning!

"How lovely!"

"Yes, they had all sorts of animals in the menagerie," Suzette continued, "They even had prairie dogs and they were just as you read in that book! They kept popping their little heads out of their holes! They were so funny!"

"I should like to see that!" Erik exclaimed.

"Well you'll get your chance tomorrow afternoon," Mr. Barnum promised cheerfully, "Tonight you shall all come with me to a dear friend's home for dinner. Charles will be there as well. I think you will all have a good time."

Erik was both euphoric and terrified about the invitation. He had never in his life been invited to a party. His first instinct was to decline, but Mr. Barnum was persistent and promised that it would only be a few, intimate friends. He relented and agreed to come, but instantly regretted it. He was terribly afraid of meeting Mr. Barnum's friends, though he tried not to show it as he and the children were dressing for the evening.

Erik had not been planning on a dinner party and he objected that he had nothing suitable to wear. Mr. Barnum laughed heartily at this and promised that, among his friends, anything that he endeavored to put on would be more then suitable. Even so, Erik stood before the full-length mirror in the suite Mr. Barnum had secured for them, fussing and brushing at a suit that was a little more casual then he would have liked. After examining himself critically for sometime he gave up, allowing that he would look like a skeleton whether he sported a the most fashionable of dress wear or a bathing suit.

He then turned to examine the children, who were chasing each other around the suite, ducking behind chairs, and hooting like a pair of African tribal warriors. Mathieu, who had never owned a dress-suit in his life, was wearing a rather stylish men's suit and jacket in miniature. The whole ensemble had been borrowed from Mr. Sutton and it came complete with opera cape, top hat, and jeweled walking stick. The effect was rather comical and both Erik and Mr. Barnum had laughed aloud to see the funny little chap strutting around in a grown man's outfit, trying to look dignified. Suzette was wearing a lovely, emerald-colored party dress, which accented her golden curls and bright, blue eyes enchantingly.

Erik watched her playing adoringly and was suddenly lost in a daydream. He was crouched in the shadows beneath a dark staircase, listening enviously to two other children who whispering happily. They were a handsome pair, full of life and joy, and blissfully unaware of the wretch who sat, lustfully taking in their every word. _"Little Lotte thought of everything and nothing," _they recited, "_Her hair was as gold as the rays of the sun, and her eyes, as clear and blue as her soul. She wheedled her mother, was kind to her doll, took good care of her frock, her little red shoes, and her fiddle, but most of all, when she went to sleep…"_

Erik was started back to the real world, where Suzette's smiling face looked up to him expectantly. He realized that he'd been reciting the little rhyme aloud. Before he could excuse himself, Suzette concluded, "She loved to hear the Angel of Music."

"What did you say?" Erik whispered in horror.

"Little Lotte. But most of all, when she went to sleep, she loved to hear the Angel of Music."

"How on earth do you know that?" he asked earnestly. Suzette's face broke into a wide smile, "Why, you've told me that before, Erik. When I was little…"

"I assure you, you never heard that from me, mademoiselle!" Erik interrupted. Suzette's face scrunched up as she tried to remember.

"Perhaps it was Papa that said it to me?"

"I suppose…" Erik thought it rather strange that Suzette should know that particular rhyme, but for all he knew it was one which every child knew. At least, every child that was not a living corpse. Mathieu peered at them over the back of a cushiony armchair that he was kneeling on.

"Is it nearly time to go down and meet Mr. Barnum?" he asked anxiously.

"It is indeed, Mathieu."

The three of them made their way down to the lobby to meet Mr. Barnum and his party, amidst the stares of other patrons and the housekeeping staff. Erik had encouraged Suzette to bring alone her brand new violin. He imagined that the sight of two charming children making music might be enough to take the attention off of his mask. Mr. Barnum greeted them boisterously in his gleaming American manner and they hurried through the rainstorm to his waiting carriage.

After a tumultuous ride in the carriage, they arrived at a lovely mansion in the west end. Mr. Barnum led them up the front stairs and into the foyer where two pretty French girls were waiting to take their cloaks. The two girls nudged each other and whispered nasty things in French behind their petite hands. Suzette told them succinctly, in French, to shove off and their eyes went as wide as soup dishes as they scrambled into the back room. Erik had to strain himself to not break out laughing as he reminded Suzette that she was a guest and to act like a lady.

Mr. Barnum led them through the house, following the sound of merry laughter and strains of piano music, to the salon, where all the people were gathered. The room was luxuriously decorated, with lovely Italian furniture and impressively flamboyant artwork in every corner. There were about ten people in the room, including Mr. Sutton and a very small woman who could only be his wife Lavinia. Some of the people, Suzette recognized from her afternoon at the circus, though they looked much different in their dress clothes, but many others were new, and most of them bore the fashion of aristocracy. Mr. Barnum led them through this small mob to petite lady with billowing chestnut locks, warm, blue eyes, and a glistening smile. When she saw the approaching party she exclaimed in her bell-like voice, "Why, it's Taylor Barnum at last!" Mr. Barnum bowed graciously to her and kissed her white hand.

"My dear Mlle. Lind, it is so good to see you again. This is my new friend from Paris and his two wards. Erik, may I present Mademoiselle Jenny Lind, the famed Swedish Nightingale." Erik seemed to be awestruck by this beautiful lady, but he at last managed a graceful bow. Mlle Lind gave him another magical smile and offered him a lovely, soft hand, "It is a pleasure, Monsieur," she cooed, "Any friend of Taylor's is a friend of mine." Erik reached out hesitantly. Suzette watched him in disbelief. He acted as if he thought his touch would cause her to melt like a water drop touching a sugar lump. Mlle. Lind gently scooped up his thin hand in both of hers and announced to her guests, "Now that we are all here we can serve dinner!"

The dinner was delicious and everyone enjoyed his or herself quite a lot. Mathieu gobbled down his dinner as fast as he could so that he could go and amuse himself with another small boy, whose hands were large and malformed so that they looked like the pinchers of a crayfish. The other boy spoke as much French as Mathieu spoke Greek, but they played together anyway, in the language of children. The rest of the guests sat about talking about various news and events. Erik and Mlle. Lind sat discussing the orchestral attributes of Rameau's operas. Erik was so engrossed with this shimmering lady that he completely forgot to worry about the other guests looking at his mask. Suzette sat quietly beside him, wondering what all the fuss was over.

Suddenly, the conversation was interrupted by the clink of glasses and someone calling for Mr. Barnum to make a toast. The champagne was brought around, though Mr. Barnum told the server loudly, "Just enough for a toast for me. I'm not any sort of drinker. Champagne and beautiful women have a way of making a fool out of a practical man." Once the champagne was properly dispersed, Mr. Barnum raised his glass and said, "To all of my dear friends gathered around me…May all of your lives be blessed with joy, love, and a fair potion of humbug!" The guests laughed at this and raised their glasses eagerly to joy, love, and humbug.

Suzette reached over and tapped Erik's arm, "May I show Mlle. Lind my spider trick?" she whispered.

"Certainly not! But you may play her a piece on your fiddle if she'd care to hear it."

"Oh, how wonderful!" Mlle. Lind exclaimed, "Everyone! This charming little lady is going to play us something on her violin! Let's all go into the salon and listen." The guests chattered warmly to one another as they gathered up their champagne glasses and chose their seats around the pianoforte. One of the little maids brought her violin case and Suzette opened it fondly. The violin had been a gift from Erik only a few weeks earlier. He had ordered it especially for her from a well-known Italian maker, earlier in the year when it became apparent that her old model was too small for her sprawling limbs. It was her very first full-sized instrument and she was very proud of it. It took a little longer to tune as each of the strings were brand-new and kept sliding. Finally she had the instrument and the bow the way she wanted them and Erik asked her what she wanted to play. Suzette thought for a moment and suggested the Mendelssohn concerto that they had been working on.

Suzette gave the signal to start and she began to play the solo while Erik elegantly played the orchestral reduction on the pianoforte. The guests stared in wonder as they were bathed in strains of Mendelssohn's magical sound. Suzette played with a passion that most people wouldn't have thought possible from such a young spirit. When the movement was ended everyone clapped enthusiastically and Mlle. Lind sighed with delight.

"Well done, young lady! Magnificently done!" shouted an elderly English gentleman, who extended his hand in congratulation. Suzette blushed and shook his hand timidly, saying, "Thank you, sir."

"Yes, indeed, my dear!" exclaimed Mlle. Lind emphatically, "And well done, Erik!"

Erik bowed his head in recognition and said, "Thank you, mademoiselle. You are too kind."

"Not at all," she said, "Clearly you both have been touched by the angel of music!"

The rest of the evening progressed with Erik and Suzette playing little etudes and dances together. Eventually, after his new friend's parents had scooped up their boy and taken him home to bed, Mathieu came back to the salon and sang a few songs as well. Eventually, most of the guests went home as well, leaving only Mlle. Lind, Mr. Barnum, and Mr. And Mrs. Sutton. It was at this point that Mr. Barnum, nudged Mlle. Lind and said, "Let's have a song, Jenny." She began to protest that she hadn't sung in public in years, but Mr. Barnum cut her off, pointing out that a few guests in her own salon hardly constituted 'in public'. Mlle. Lind stood up primly and pulled a score off the shelf, which she placed on the music stand before Erik. Erik played the introduction and she began to sing. Though she didn't have the same sound she had possessed in her younger years, her tone was still beautiful and bell-like. The aria she chose washed over them, accentuating her brilliant coloratura. The audience of five clapped wildly when she finished. Mlle. Lind performed a few more arias from well-known Oratorios, with Erik accompanying her, when suddenly Mr. Barnum announced, "Now I think we shall have a duet!" Mlle Lind looked at him in horror and Mr. Barnum said laughingly, "Now, don't look at me that way, my dear lady! I have no intention of singing! I only meant that you and Erik should sing a duet." The singer looked quite relieved to hear that and she looked at Erik questioningly.

Erik bowed his head and said, "I'd be honored, Mademoiselle." To their surprise, Erik produced a thin leather case from thin air and thumbed through its' contents until he found the paper he was looking for. He handed it to Mlle. Lind and said, "Would you like to try this? It isn't from an opera or oratorio, but I think it is perfect for your voice." She smiled graciously and nodded. Soon the room was filled with their voices. The piece was lovely, filled with passion and emotion. His angelic swells mingled perfectly with her clear, light tone. They forget the world around them as their voices seemed to rise higher and higher, until they reached the stars. When the piece was finished the whole room was in silent awe. When at last, Mlle. Lind turned to Erik, there were tears running down her fair cheeks.

"Thank you, monsieur," she whispered reverently, "I don't know when I last sang that way."

When, at last, it was time for them to depart, Erik led his sleepy children to the door, where Mr. Sutton was shaking Mlle. Lind's hand and saying how nice it had been to see her again and that the party had been first rate. As Erik stood on the porch he said, "Thank you, Mademoiselle, for having us." She gave him another dazzling smile and lent over, kissing his brow, just above the edge of his mask.

"Thank you, Monsieur. I don't suppose I shall ever forget this night." Erik stood in shock as she disappeared into the house. Slowly, he gathered himself up and made his way to the carriage, though he clutched Suzette to him, for fear that he might collapse if he didn't hold on to something solid.

Erik remained in a state of shock for the whole carriage ride. He was still dazed when they said good-bye to Mr. Barnum in the lobby, and even when the Sutton's walked with them down the corridor which led to both of their rooms. He was only barely conscious when he stood in the hallway, making plans for the next morning with Mr. Sutton. In fact, Erik was not properly started out of his euphoric state until Suzette blurted out, "Mr. Sutton, are you a freak?" Erik was horror-struck and for the first time in his life, he felt fortunate not to have any facial expression, because he was sure that he had to be the most embarrassed gentleman in the northern hemisphere. Mr. Sutton looked at Suzette curiously and said, "What do you mean, child?" Suzette glanced over at Erik, who if he hadn't been clutching a sleeping Mathieu over his shoulder would have clapped his hand over her mouth and rushed her inside the room.

"Erik says that men like Mr. Barnum lock people who are freaks in cages so everyone can look at them and be mean to them, but Mr. Barnum seems like such a nice man! He wouldn't do that to anyone would he?" To Erik's relief, Mr. Sutton didn't seem angry at all. He simply sighed and said to her calmly, "Well, my dear, I've found that there isn't much to be sure of where people are concerned. The righteous of the world would say that some men are good while some men are bad. Sometimes, one of those people would go to a circus to throw rocks and insults at a person in a cage. And sometimes, one of those men who those same righteous would call a crook and a monster would help out a poor kid with no one else to go to.

But there is one thing that I am sure of, and that is that Mr. Barnum is a first rate gentleman, and in my whole life, he is one of the kindest I've ever met.

Do you know, young lady, that when I was a kid, my father was ashamed of me? That's right, when I was even less then half of your age, I knew my own father was ashamed of me because of my size. Well, the first time I ever met Mr. Barnum, he promised my mother and I that in less then a year, there would never be cause for my parents to be embarrassed of me again. And do you know, that is one promise that he kept.

Mr. Barnum has been my friend for almost as long as I can remember. He took care of me, saw that I was educated by the best available, took me on tours around the world, and always made sure that my mother was with me. They made a fortune convincing people that Tom Thumb was a remarkable person, and before long he had me convinced of it as well.

Now, that's not to say that I haven't had a few rocks chucked my way. Indeed, Mr. Barnum has had more then his fair share of rocks as well. Those are hard times, but I ask you, what would have became of me if I'd never left Bridgeport, Connecticut? Do you understand what I'm trying to say?" Suzette looked up at him sleepily and nodded. She seemed to be immensely relieved.

"Thank you, Mr. Sutton," she said gently and Erik said goodnight and led them into their suite. All the time, he was getting them into their beds, he thought of what Mr. Sutton had said. As he slipped off to sleep himself, he thought of what a wonderful day they'd had and silently concluded that Mr. Sutton was right. Mr. Barnum was indeed a first-rate gentleman.

Then next day, Erik found himself being drug through a swirl of movement and color, by Mathieu and Suzette. They wanted to show him everything they had seen in the sideshow. Erik delighted in the many imaginative exhibits, strange beasts, acrobats, and magicians. His favorite part of the sideshow was the calliope. It was the most obscene instrument of torture he had ever seen. It was completely incomprehensible to him how anyone could work in its immediate vicinity, and still retain a shred of sanity. He stood at a distance admiring its many brightly colored pipes, when the children began to pull on him once more.

"The show will start soon! We must find our seats!" They were making their way through the sideshow tents when suddenly Suzette cried out, "Look, Erik!" Erik looked and saw an enormous glass tank, filled nearly to his chest with earth. They drew close and Erik could see that inside the tank were dozens of funny little rabbit-like creatures, crawling around in tunnels under the dirt, and popping in and out of holes on the surface.

"It's the prairie dogs! Aren't they funny?" They were indeed funny. Every time someone got too close one would throw his little arms into the air and give a squeal. The others would imitate him and then they would all rush for their holes. Erik would have liked to watch them longer, but they were in a hurry to get their seats.

Mr. Barnum had given them some of the best seats in the house, right before the center ring. Erik sat with the children, quite unnerved by the number of people around him who were staring and pointing at his mask.

"They must think we're part of the show," he grumbled. Suzette shrugged and shot a dirty look at a particularly obnoxious boy with pimples and rather large ears, who kept gawking in their direction. The boy got an evil look in his eye and whispered something to an even more disagreeable-looking boy who had a harelip and was missing two teeth. The other boy looked over at them with his beady eyes and they both began to laugh hatefully. Suzette hunched down in her seat, her face burning, as the two boys shouted obscene things at her in English, over the crowd. The crowd reacted in various ways, some laughing, some feigning shock at such terrible rudeness, and still others simply ignoring and raising the voices to be heard over their profane shouts. They were now standing on their seats and pointing at them as they shouted and Suzette was fighting tears, when suddenly, the boy with the large ears emitted a horrible honking sound. This caught the attention of several people sitting by and the boy's companion looked at his chum in surprise. Indeed, the boy looked surprised himself. The fellow with the harelip began to say something to him when suddenly, loud and clear, there came the same braying sound from his lips. The boys looked at each other in horror and the crowd stared at them in amusement. The boys began to try to talk again, but anytime they attempted to speak there came that awful sound again, like the 'hee-haw' of a mule. As the unfortunate youths became more and more panicked, the braying became louder and more urgent. The crowed laughed so hard at these pre-show clowns that they eventually drowned out the strange voices. They boys did not know what to make of this strange occurrence and in order to prevent any further humiliation they resolved themselves to sit in their seats once more and not speak at all. The crowd eventually calmed down, as the show was about to begin. Suzette regarded Erik, who had remained quite silent during the whole episode, apparently too engrossed in his program to take notice.

"Why so silent, Erik?" she asked him.

"What is there to say?" he responded, "When two young gentlemen elect to make jackasses of themselves in public?"

Erik, Suzette, and Mathieu were all in awe throughout the entire show. Mr. Barnum's collection of spectacles was both eclectic and amazing. There were contortionists, acrobats, clowns, traipse artists, fire dancers, trick riders, animal trainers, pyrotechnics, illusionists, and hypnotists all performing to the piercing, thumping sound of a marching band. Even after his years of performing circus acts and illusions, Erik saw a great many things he had never seen before. The "small touring company" as Mr. Barnum had called it, easily earned its reputation as the 'greatest show on earth'. At the finale of the performance, there was a dazzling display of fireworks, which impressed the entire crowd.

After the show, Mr. Barnum met them at the gate and invited Erik to his suite for tea.

"Thank you indeed, Mr. Barnum," he replied courteously, "But we must be leaving for the ship."

"Oh, no!" the children exclaimed, even as Mr. Barnum cried in dismay, "But you've hardly just arrived!"

"It truly seems that way, but we must catch our ship back to Breton."

"Are you sure you won't stay here and travel with us to America in two weeks?" Suzette and Mathieu jumped up and down and looked at him pleadingly but Erik simply said, "I'm afraid not. Though we've had a lovely time. We must go back to the hotel to get our trunk and be on our way. Will you accompany us?"

"Certainly, I want to say good-bye properly."

"Excellent. I have a surprise for you, Mr. Barnum." Mr. Barnum's eyes lit up and he called the carriage to take them back to the hotel.

In the early hours of the next morning, Erik lay in a strange bed, with Suzette and Mathieu curled up on either side of him. Nearby, in the darkness, he could make out the lumpy shape of the Edison Talking Machine, which Mr. Barnum had given him as a gift. Erik almost laughed aloud as he recalled the expression on Mr. Barnum's face when he opened the box he'd given him to reveal a long, menacing noose made from hard, black fibers. When Mr. Barnum looked up at him in confusion, Erik explained, "It is the Punjab lasso. Since you won't be getting the phantom of the opera in your show, you may have his weapon of choir to exhibit." Mr. Barnum laughed, "But are you sure that it is authentic, my friend? I could never exhibit an imposter!" Erik laughed now and retorted, "I can personally guarantee it, Mr. Barnum." Mr. Barnum shook his hand enthusiastically. Erik could see that he was delighted by the gift.

Mr. Sutton had gifts for the children as well. Mathieu received a small black box, filled with the needed supplies for several different slight-of-hand tricks, as well as the written secrets for performing them. Suzette was given a lovely, antique necklace with several brightly colored stones in it. The center stone was the same color as Suzette's eyes, though it changed its tint slightly with the slightest change of light. Mr. Sutton promised her that it brought good fortune and had even been known to grant wishes. Suzette thanked him and allowed him to place it around her neck.

"Erik?" Suzette whispered softly in the darkness. He was started from his thoughts. He hadn't known she was still awake.

"What should I wish for?" she asked dreamily.

"Oh, I don't know? What more could you wish for after such an adventure?"

"Well, what would you wish for?" Erik remained silent for a long time while he pondered the question. At last he whispered, not sure if Suzette was even awake to hear him, "I wish I could smile. Then you could look into my eyes and know how very happy you've made me." And with that his heavy eyelids closed and he fell fast asleep.


End file.
